Housing activity remains strong in November, experiencing blanket growth across key indicators for the second time this year. Nine months into the pandemic, we’re seeing some clear trends emerging related to homeowner behavior. “Maintenance spend surged in November to the largest year-over-year increase we’ve ever seen,” said Jonathan Kanarek, managing director of BuildFax, a Verisk …
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Housing activity showed continued growth across almost all indicators in October. Single-family housing authorizations increased for the third consecutive month, though the pace of growth slowed from September. While record-low mortgage rates have propelled housing activity forward amid the COVID-19 pandemic, homebuyer demand may have peaked as mortgage applications remained relatively flat in October. Meanwhile, …
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The market experienced steady year-over-year growth across almost all housing indicators in September. Single-family housing authorizations were up for the second consecutive month, signaling strong demand and homebuilder confidence in the market. New construction grew alongside construction employment in the U.S. last month. However, construction employment remains well below levels seen in the months preceding …
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Housing activity experienced notable growth in August, seemingly spurred along by historically low mortgage rates and increases in consumer demand driven by post-pandemic shifts in homebuying behaviors. In the new construction sphere, single-family housing authorizations increased, a sign that housing activity is advancing in the face of the pandemic. As builders work to close the …
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Even five months into the pandemic, many industries are still experiencing the effects of COVID-19. However, U.S. housing activity has notably pushed past the early turmoil it experienced. After several months of hesitation, housing indicators are beginning to show growth once again. Maintenance and remodeling activity—a subset of maintenance that includes renovations, additions, and alterations—increased …
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New and existing housing activity declined across the board in May. However, a trend is beginning to appear within the housing market, where other housing indicators—existing home sales, construction jobs, mortgage locks, homebuilder sentiment, and more—started seeing improvement this month. Maintenance and remodeling—a subset of maintenance that includes renovations, additions, and alterations—declined year over year …
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COVID-19 reached its peak in the United States last month and the housing market felt the strain of the pandemic. A record number of houses were pulled off the market, new construction slowed, and existing home sales decreased. Existing housing activity, which often sees a boost from property transactions, was no exception. Across the board, …
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March was a turning point for the United States as, state by state, the COVID-19 outbreak led to shelter-in-place orders across the nation. In fact, according to The New York Times, by the end of March, more than 80% of the population across 32 states had been urged to shelter-in-place.[i] As a result, while some …
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A thread woven throughout sessions and sidebars at DigIn 2019 was the idea that insurance innovation is in a period akin to halftime during a football game. Over the past few years, the industry has experienced a substantial ramp up. It’s no longer a question of whether accurate property data is relevant to a carrier’s business …
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The April BuildFax Housing Health Report (BHHR) revealed an increase in maintenance activity after five months of decreases, while single-family housing authorizations continued to decline. Maintenance activity increases are owed, in part, to severe convective storms across the U.S. With hurricane season on the horizon, BuildFax anticipates inclement weather to continue to impact maintenance volumes, …
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