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
Awards | IBS | National Sales and Marketing Council | 55+ Housing
Jan 09, 2026
Finalists Announced for the 2025 The Nationals AwardsNAHB announced the Silver Winners for The Nationals, powered by Chase. These awards celebrate the best in new-home sales and marketing and include 55+ housing, global innovation and NAHB Honors.
Design | IBS
Jan 09, 2026
From Décor to Resiliency, IBS Design Central Covers It AllAt the 2026 NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) in Orlando Fla., there will be education sessions centered on design. Design Central will offer engaging presentations led by some of the industry’s top professionals, covering everything from décor to sustainability. Here are the Design Central presentations, all taking place at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC).
Latest Economic News
Economics
Jan 12, 2026
Growth for Custom Home BuildingNAHB’s analysis of Census Data from the Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design survey indicates year-over year growth for custom home builders amid broader single-family home building weakness.
Economics
Jan 09, 2026
Townhouse Construction Share Gains ContinueAccording to NAHB analysis of the most recent Census data of Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, during the third quarter of 2025, single-family attached starts totaled 46,000. Over the last four quarters, townhouse construction starts totaled a strong 179,000 homes, which is 1% higher than the prior four-quarter period (177,000). Townhouses made almost 20% all of single-family housing starts for the third quarter of the year.
Economics
Jan 09, 2026
Job Growth Slowed as 2025 EndedJob growth continued to slow at the end of the year, reinforcing signs of a cooling labor market. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 50,000 jobs in December, while the unemployment rate edged down slightly to 4.4%.