Fewer Builders Cutting Home Prices as a Result of the Pandemic
In a further sign that the housing rebound is gaining momentum, fewer builders are lowering home prices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month’s HMI survey revealed that just 22% of builders nationwide cut prices in April 2020. This month’s survey reveals that the share of builders reducing prices to bolster sales dropped even lower in May, down to 15%. For historical context, 49% of builders cut prices in March 2008, in the midst of the last housing recession. The chart below indicates the month that builders were surveyed.
Builders were asked in the June 2020 survey whether they cut prices in May and those surveyed in May were asked if they cut prices the month before in April. Builders who did reduce home prices in May cut them by an average of 5%, the same discount reported a month earlier. In contrast, builders were reducing home prices more aggressively in May 2007 (7%) and March 2008 (8%).
As lockdown orders began to ease in May and June 2020, housing data rebounded quickly, providing evidence that this industry is positioned to lead the economy forward. Single-family permits rose almost 12% in May, mortgage applications are at their highest level since January 2020, and builder sentiment, measured by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), jumped 21 points in June – the highest one-month increase in the series history.
Latest from NAHBNow
May 30, 2025
NAHB Members Provide Final Recommendations for New WOTUS RuleNAHB members concluded their participation in multiple “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) listening sessions with strong showings in Washington, D.C., and Salt Lake City. In total, 12 NAHB members and four staff members from NAHB and state home builder associations (HBAs), representing 11 states, provided oral statements at listening sessions.
May 30, 2025
Statement from NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes on DOL Decision to Pause Job Corps Center OperationsNAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes issued the following statement after the Department of Labor announced it was pausing Job Corps center operations nationwide.
Latest Economic News
May 30, 2025
Multifamily Absorption Moves Lower for New ApartmentsThe percentage of new apartment units that were absorbed within three months after completion continued to trend lower, according to the Census Bureau’s latest release of the Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units (SOMA).
May 29, 2025
Treasury Yield Increase Drives Mortgage Rates Higher in MayMortgage rates continued their upward trend in May due to market volatility triggered by fiscal concerns and weaker U.S. Treasury demand. According to Freddie Mac, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.82% — a 9-basis-point (bps) increase from April. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage increased by 5 bps to 5.95%.
May 28, 2025
Aging-in-Place Remodeling Work Fell While Familiarity and Receptiveness Remain HighOnly 56% of professional remodelers undertake projects designed to allow homeowners to Age-in-Place (AIP), according to results from NAHB’s Q1 2025 Remodeling Market Index (RMI) survey.