Labour, Building Material Shortages Depress U.S. Single-family Housing Starts

U.S. single-family homebuilding fell for a second straight month in August as builders continued to struggle with shortages of materials and labor, suggesting the housing market could remain a drag on economic growth in the third quarter. The report from the Commerce

BY Realty Plus
Published - Thursday, 23 Sep, 2021

Labour, Building Material Shortages Depress U.S. Single-family Housing Starts

U.S. single-family homebuilding fell for a second straight month in August as builders continued to struggle with shortages of materials and labor, suggesting the housing market could remain a drag on economic growth in the third quarter. The report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday also showed the number of houses authorized for construction but not yet started raced to a record high last month, a sign of reluctance by builders to take on new projects. Builders' inability to ramp up the production of single-family homes amid a massive housing shortage is driving up prices and keeping some first-time buyers from the market. "While lumber prices have plummeted in the spot market, those lower prices have not yet made their way to home builders," said Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina. "Moreover, other essential building materials remain in short supply, including windows, cabinets, electric breaker boxes and wedge anchors." Single-family starts, which account for the largest share of the housing market, dropped 2.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.076 million units last month. The decline was, however, offset by a surge in starts for the volatile multi-family segment. As a result, overall housing starts advanced 3.9% to a rate of 1.615 million units in August. Data for July was revised up to a rate of 1.554 million units from the previously reported 1.534 million units. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast starts would rebound to a rate of 1.555 million units. Housing starts jumped 17.4% compared to August 2020. Single-family starts dropped in the West and Midwest. They rose in the Northeast and the densely populated South. Building costs remain an issue even though lumber futures have tumbled from a record high of $1,711 per thousand board feet in May to about $604 in Tuesday morning trade. Starts for buildings with five units or more soared 21.6% to a rate of 530,000 units last month, the highest level since January 2020. The multi-family housing segment is being boosted by demand for rentals as COVID-19 vaccinations allow companies to recall workers to offices in city centers. Housing completions fell 4.5% to a rate of 1.330 million units last month. Single-family home completions rose 2.8% to a rate of 971,000 units. The pandemic has lengthened the time from when a permit is issued for single-family home construction to completion, which economists blame on supply constraints. The inventory of previously owned homes is near record lows, leading to record double-digit annual growth in home prices. Realtors estimate that single-family housing starts and completion rates need to be in a range of 1.5 million to 1.6 million units per month to close the inventory gap. The stock of housing under construction increased 1.7% to a rate of 1.404 million units last month.