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
Feb 04, 2026
Explore Senior Leadership Opportunities at Nominations ForumThe Nominations Committee will host a Nominations Forum during the 2026 International Builders’ Show. Members who may be interested in becoming a future candidate for NAHB Third Vice Chair, as well as those who would like to work on a campaign, are encouraged to attend.
Feb 03, 2026
NAHB Scores Wins as Congress Reopens GovernmentCongress has approved legislation to end a three-day partial government shutdown that will provide funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and several other federal agencies through Sept. 30, 2026.
Latest Economic News
Feb 04, 2026
Mortgage Rates Declined Despite Higher Treasury YieldsLong-term mortgage rates continued to decline in January. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.10% last month, 9 basis points (bps) lower than December. Meanwhile, the 15-year rate declined 4 bps to 5.44%. Compared to a year ago, the 30-year rate is lower by 86 bps. The 15-year rate is also lower by 72 bps.
Feb 03, 2026
Homeownership Rate Inches Up to 65.7%The latest homeownership rate rose to 65.7% in the last quarter of 2025, according to the Census’s Housing Vacancy Survey (HVS). While this was a modest quarterly increase, the broader picture continues to reflect significant affordability challenges. With mortgage interest rates remaining elevated, and housing supply still tight, housing affordability is at a multidecade low.
Feb 02, 2026
U.S. Population Growth Slows in 2025According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest estimates, the U.S. resident population grew by 1,781,060 to a total population of 341,784,857. The population grew at a rate of 0.5%, a sharp decline from the near 1.0% growth in 2024.