Builder confidence in newly built single-family homes remained steady this month, keeping at an unchanged level of 72, according to a National Association of Home Builders survey.
The continued “healthy” level of confidence in the market comes as privately owned housing starts experienced a 9.7 percent growth in January, with inklings of increasing consumer demand, according to NAHB Chairman Randy Noel.
Regionally, based upon the three-month moving averages of the Housing Market Index, builder confidence in the Midwest rose two points to 72, the South jumped from 73 to 74, the West held at 81 and the Northwest dropped two points to 56.
The monthly NAHB survey evaluates builder expectati ons for the next six months, gauged as either “good,” “fair” or “poor,” with any seasonally adjusted number over level 50 signaling that builders are viewing the market’s conditions as generally positive.
