Interest in New Homes on the Rise
The share of adults planning a home purchase within a year rose from 13% in the first half of 2022 to 15% in the third quarter. The marginal increase suggests that the prospect of higher mortgage rates in the near term may be leading a small segment of consumers to consider the purchase of a home sooner rather than later.
New homes in particular may be of interest. After bottoming out at 19% in the first quarter of 2022, the popularity of new homes continues to rebound, as the share of buyers looking for new construction rose to 21% and 27% in the second and third quarters of the year, respectively, according to NAHB’s Housing Trends Report. This interest is nationwide: The share of prospective buyers looking to purchase a new home rose in all four regions.
A possible factor behind this trend is that the inventory of new homes for sale is 25% higher than a year ago, while the supply of existing homes on the market is unchanged.
Rose Quint, NAHB Assistant Vice President for Survey Research, provides more information — including interactive graphs — in these Eye on Housing posts:
Latest from NAHBNow
Economics
Dec 22, 2025
Existing Home Sales Inch Higher in NovemberTotal existing home sales, including single-family homes, townhomes, and condos, rose 0.5% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.13 million, the highest level since February. November sales were still 1% lower than a year ago.
Advocacy
Dec 19, 2025
Senate Confirms Cassidy as FHA Commissioner, Gormley as Ginnie Mae PresidentNAHB congratulates Frank Cassidy and Joseph Gormley on their recent Senate confirmation to top government posts. Cassidy was confirmed as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner, while Gormley will lead Ginnie Mae as its new president.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Dec 19, 2025
Existing Home Sales Edge Higher in NovemberExisting home sales rose for the third consecutive month in November as lower mortgage rates continued to boost home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, the increase remained modest as mortgage rates still stayed above 6% while down from recent highs. The weakening job market also weighed on buyer activity.
Economics
Dec 18, 2025
Lumber Capacity Lower Midway Through 2025Sawmill production has remained essentially flat over the past two years, according to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report. This most recent data release contained an annual revision, which resulted in higher estimates for both production and capacity in U.S. sawmills.
Economics
Dec 18, 2025
Inflation Slows in November (with a Caveat)Inflation unexpectedly eased in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) latest report. This data release was originally scheduled for December 10 but was delayed due to the recent government shutdown.