NAHB/Wells Fargo Home Builder Sentiment: October 2016

This week, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released their latest Housing Market Index (HMI) showing that overall assessments of housing activity generally worsened in October with the composite HMI index falling to 63 while the "buyer traffic" index declined slightly to a level of 46.

NAHB/Wells Fargo Home Builder Sentiment: May 2016

Today, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released their latest Housing Market Index (HMI) showing that overall assessments of housing activity generally went flat for the fourth straight month in May with the composite HMI index remaining at 58 while the "buyer traffic" index went flat at a level of 44.

NAHB/Wells Fargo Home Builder Sentiment: May 2015

Recently, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released their latest Housing Market Index (HMI) showing that overall assessments of housing activity declined in May with the composite HMI index falling to 54 while the "buyer traffic" index declined to a level of 39 from 40 in the prior month.

Overall, conditions for new home construction appear to have softened some recently and still remain below the peak assessments see prior to the Great Recession.

NAHB/Wells Fargo Home Builder Sentiment: March 2015

Today, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released their latest Housing Market Index (HMI) showing that overall assessments of housing activity declined in March with the composite HMI index falling to 53 while the "buyer traffic" index declined to a level of 37 from 39 in the prior month.

Overall, conditions for new home construction appear to have softened some recently and still remain below the peak assessments see prior to the Great Recession.

Homebuilder Blues: NAHB/Wells Fargo Home Builder Ratings February 2013

Today, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released their latest Housing Market Index (HMI) showing that assesments of housing activity declined slightly in February with the composite HMI index falling to 46 while the "buyer traffic" index fell more notably to 32.

It's important to note that February showed a flattening of sorts to future expectations, a development that is worth noting as the new home market moves through it's most active months at the start of the year (see Bob Tolls explanation for January - early spring being the new home markets most active period annually).

While all indicators have made truly spectacular improvements this year, it's important to note that conditions still remain fairly distressed by historic standards.

Although, looking at the data, it is fairly clear that the last few months of results indicate a major change in builder sentiment likely coming as a result of improvements in confidence given the notable rise in buyer traffic, reduced inventory and a more balanced monthly supply.

Homebuilder Blues: NAHB/Wells Fargo Home Builder Ratings May 2011

Today, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released their latest Housing Market Index (HMI) showing a flat trend for most measures with the "buyer traffic" index remaining near record lows as home builders continue to plod through the weakest activity seen in generations.

It's important to recognize that currently all measures are showing notable declines in the level of activity seen since last year.

Clearly the new home market has seen another no-show start to the buying season with the typically strongest selling months (remember Bob Toll's analysis of the seasons) fully behind it.

The new home market will likely not resume any significant form of healthy function until the considerable overhang of inventory is cleared.

Homebuilder Blues: NAHB/Wells Fargo Home Builder Ratings February 2011

Today, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released their latest Housing Market Index (HMI) showing a flattening for most measures with the "buyer traffic" index remaining near record lows as home builders continue to plod through the weakest activity seen in generations.

It's important to recognize that currently the HMI index is showing a slight year-over-year decline and still remains very near the lowest levels seen in over 20 years, a testament to the significance of the latest pullback.

The new home market will likely not resume any significant form of healthy function until the considerable overhang of inventory is cleared.

Homebuilder Blues: NAHB/Wells Fargo Home Builder Ratings May 2009

Today, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released their latest Housing Market Index (HMI) showing an increase to the overall index as well as most component indices.

It’s important to recognize that although the series are seasonally adjusted, each series has generally shown notable strength or noticeable flattening during the first quarter of each of the last 4 years.

The new home market will likely not resume any significant form of healthy function until the considerable overhang of inventory is cleared.

Each component of the NAHB housing market index remains WELL BELOW the worst levels ever seen in the over 20 years and continues to remain firmly in uncharted territory.