Podcast: Has the Housing Upturn Begun?
In the latest episode of the Housing Developments podcast, NAHB CEO Jim Tobin and SVP Paul Lopez discuss two positive economic indices released this week: housing starts had a huge jump in May and builder confidence is in positive territory for the first time in 11 months. The co-hosts discuss the reality that these developments represent, including what this means for the inflationary environment in advance of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s testimony on Capitol Hill.
Listen to Housing Developments wherever you get your podcasts, or watch a video of the full episode below.
Editor’s note: Find more in-depth analyses on starts and builder sentiment data on NAHB’s economics blog, Eye on Housing.
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On the latest episode of NAHB’s podcast, Housing Developments, COO Paul Lopez and guest host Karl Eckhart, NAHB VP of State and Local Government Affairs, welcome Mayor Paul Young of Memphis, Tenn.
Buyers need enough money left over each month to live comfortably. And builders need enough margin and capital left over to keep building. Understanding the buyers' needs is essential to protecting your business.
Latest Economic News
The Producer Price Index for final demand was up 0.3% in October, after rising 1.4% in September. Compared to a year ago, final demand prices were up 6.5%.
Credit conditions on loans for residential Land Acquisition, Development & Construction (AD&C) were still tightening in the third quarter of 2026, according to NAHB’s quarterly survey on AD&C Financing. The net easing index derived from the survey posted a third-quarter reading of -15.3 (the negative number indicating net tightening).
After a brief rebound last month, existing home sales plummeted to a 16-year low in October. With mortgage rates back above 7% since mid-September and home prices still elevated, buyers continued to stay on the sidelines.