Builder Confidence High for the Month of October

A jointly sponsored survey from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo to a selection of builders in the United States rates builder confidence in three different areas: current sales conditions, prospective buyers, and expectations for future sales. The results of this survey are published each month in the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Any rating by builders that is higher than 50 is considered a positive sign. During October, 2017, the builder confidence index rose to a total of 68 for all three categories, which is the highest level it has

been since May of this year.  March – June are considered some of the best months for real estate, so to have this high of a score during October from builders is a very positive sign for the real estate industry as a whole.

“This month’s report shows that home builders are rebounding from the initial shock of the hurricanes,” said NAHB Chairman Granger MacDonald, a home builder and developer from Kerrville, Texas. “However, builders need to be mindful of long-term repercussions from the storms, such as intensified material price increases and labor shortages.”

It is also interesting to note that builder confidence is so high when the hurricanes have eaten up a lot of the construction labor available to builders with flood restoration and home repair.  Some construction companies have one year and year and a half waiting lists for hurricane-related home repairs. In fact, the typical number of new home permits issued in Houston in a year has been surpassed by the number of permits requested for home repairs.

The price of lumber is also up 21% and is expected to continue to rise. However, builders are also seeing a surge in demand for new homes after the hurricanes, so this has probably helped with builder confidence levels during this month.

The exact numbers of the three survey factors are as follows: current sales conditions rose five points to 75. Sales expectations over the next six months also rose five points to 78. The component measuring buyer traffic rose just one point to 48 and is the only measure in negative territory.

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Construction Spending Shows a Year-Over-Year Increase

The National Association of Home Builders monitors the construction industry so it can be the first to report both positive and negative news to the real estate industry and if necessary, to Congress.  Since the housing industry is one of the leaders in economic growth and development in the United States, and the national economy depends on real estate for a good portion of the GDP, the health of the real estate industry if of prime importance to those vendors, contractors, and builders who are involved in its day-to-day production.

To that end, construction spending was reported by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) to have grown in November, 2015.  Private residential construction which includes homeowner improvements, DIY remodeling and renovations, and other types of repairs saw an increase in construction spending of 5.9% from November, 2014.  Single-family construction spending was up 9% over the same period and multi-family construction spending was up 12%.
From November, 2015, to December, 2015, private residential construction spending increased by .12%.  Single-family home construction spending increased to $231 billion which is a 1% increase from November.  Multi-family spending increased to $53 billion – a 2.66% increase.  Interestingly, if multi-family spending levels off to a steadier pace, which it is predicted to do in 2016, the trend in real estate suggests that single-family home construction will begin to increase.

In the commercial sector, an increase of 45% in the manufacturing-related construction from December, 2014, to December, 2015, drove an overall increase of 8% year-over-year in commercial construction spending.

Since the Great Recession, the real estate industry has been on a continuous climb of recovery once the housing market started to turn around.  The numbers at the end of 2015 reflect this slow but steady progress for builders, contractors, remodelers, and renovators, as well as all of the construction employees involved in projects nationwide.

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Open Floorplans Are Popular in Today’s Real Estate Industry

The buzz word in the real estate industry today for new homes being built and existing home remodeling is an open floorplan.  What exactly does that mean?  The open floorplan refers mainly to the entire living area and possibly even the sunroom, screened-in porch, or patio area on the bottom or single floor of the home.  Open floorplans typically include the Family Room / Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Sunroom, Keeping Room, Breakfast Room, and/or Porch / Patio.

Open floorplans discourage compartmentalization by encouraging each room or area to flow into the next.  Kitchens in an open floorplan can be expansive with a full working island in the middle as well as an additional breakfast bar that can have extra space for family social gatherings.  The kitchen island may have an additional sink, icemaker, dishwasher, trash compactor, or even a wine cooler. The island can also include cabinet space and drawers for additional kitchen storage of utensils, dishes and appliances.

Most of the time, the kitchen will overlook the Family Room with a view of the floor to ceiling fireplace for a vaulted ceiling floorplan and the television, letting the cook enjoy shows and games while have to cook, clean, and entertain.  The kitchen may have additional bench seating against the wall of what typically would be a Breakfast Room or Keeping Room in order to create a place for people to talk if they are not watching television.

Family Room space flows into what would have been the formal Dining Room, so homeowners have the option of buying a bigger living room set or adding built-in bookshelves, an informal office, or even a kids play area.  If there is enough room in the open floorplan, a screened-in or glassed-in porch may be easily accessible from the Family Room, or custom home buyers may choose to insulate a sunroom for a greenhouse effect for those that are plant lovers.

The obvious point here is that the days of separating out the “Formal Dining Room, Formal Living Room, Family Room, and Kitchen” are pretty much over – much like the disappearance of the “Parlor” in the ’50’s.  Home buyers and homeowners love their sprawl and space and having access to everything in the main living area of their home.

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Trends That Are Showing Up in Remodeled or Newly Built New Homes

Whatever type of home construction you are planning – a new, custom home or a complete remodel / renovation of your existing home – you will want to pay attention to the trends that are showing up in remodeled or newly built new homes.  Below are several trends that are popular among contractors, builders, and homeowners.

1. Luxurious garden tubs or jetted garden tubs have held steady in home construction for years, but for 2016, the trend is shower stalls or walk-around showers with shelving and seating.  There are some really unique shower designs that include multiple shower heads and even massage sprays.

2. For your backsplash, trim, or even walls and floors, ceramic tile is not as popular now among renovators and builders as glass tile.  The glass tile comes in many different colors as well as designs with multiple colors, so choose your matching design and go crazy!

3.  When stepping up to the gourmet kitchen or luxurious master bath, granite countertops used to be the ultimate material that reflected the type of construction of your new home or remodel.  There is a new material that is called engineered quartz that is not only tougher than granite and lasts longer, but it has the same timeless, classic, and upscale design for your custom counter work.

4.  Toilets naturally came in lower to the floor sizes for decades, but now there are choices of toilet heights that are available to new home buyers, and buyers are choosing height over flow.  The new, higher toilets are also more water efficient and modern, saving some homeowners on utility bills.

5.  Along with ornate, custom-built, real wood cabinetry; home buyers and remodelers now have a choice of painted, stained, and dark wood cabinetry vs. the traditional oak cabinets that were standard for new home construction projects.  Choose and contrast these colors as well with a two-toned look in the kitchen or bathroom.

6.  Even though, we as a custom home builder still encourage you to buy reliable appliances throughout your home, the industry has caught up with technology, so some home buyers and home renovators are now going with a mid-range level of appliance vs. a high-end appliance package.  The appliances themselves seem to have the same duration of service, and you can also purchase upper end looking fixtures, such as stainless steel to achieve the look you want without all of the cost.

7.  Back to the basics – homeowner and savvy new home buyers know to renovate and build their homes with real wood flooring such as solid oak or pine instead of engineered flooring.  While the look and cost of an engineered floor is great for the first few years, the results after many years of wear and tear don’t stand the test of time, weather, and constant use.  Homeowners and new home buyers will be looking to find affordable real wood choices for their flooring.

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The Cost of Building a Custom New Homes

Ron Lee Homes in St. Tammany Parish is one of the elite builders in Covington, Louisiana, which builds fully custom new homes with spectacular finishes.  Inside or out, these new homes are built with intense attention to detail to make sure that every minute finish is construction with as much perfection as possible.  Many of the interior amenities of custom homes built by Ron Lee Homes are imported materials or custom built materials that are installed by specialty contractors.

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), this type of new home construction actually trends with national averages in that 29.6% of the cost of construction is spent on interior finishes.  The rest of the breakdown in construction costs are as follows: framing (18.0 percent), exterior finishes (15.0 percent), major system rough-ins (13.1 percent), foundations (11.6 percent), final steps (6.8 percent), site work (5.6 percent), and other costs (0.5 percent).

When calculating the cost to build a new, single-family home, the NAHB surveyed builders with its Cost of Construction Survey and found that new homes built on approximately 1/2-acre lots with 2,802 square feet had a sales price of $468,318.  61.8% of that sales price encompassed the cost of the construction of building the new home which is only .1% higher than the costs reported in 2013.
Interestingly, the cost of the lot and the cost of finishing the lot made up a large chunk of the expense of building in the total percentages spent of the sale.  Land in St. Tammany Parish has a premium price compared to more northern and western parishes in Louisiana as well.

At the same time as this data has been released by the NAHB, another analysis of construction spending says that total private residential construction spending for September increased 1.3% over August spending and 13% year-over-year.  The reason for this increase may also be the increase in the cost of materials as well. However, single-family home permits and starts are up as well, so the money put back into the economy in the form of materials purchases as well as employment is up across the board nationwide – a good sign for the real estate market.

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Construction Work in Mandeville, Louisiana, in St. Tammany

New jobs in the form of construction work and employee hiring is happening in Mandeville, Louisiana, in St. Tammany Parish.  Florida Marine, LLC, currently located off of the west side service road between Fairway (Judge Tanner) Drive and Hwy. 22, is doubling its commercial construction space from 27,500 square feet to 55,000 square feet and is expected to cost approximately $7.2 million.  The move will bring in 40 new Florida Marine jobs and approximately 180 jobs in construction including contractors and sub-contractors.

As part of the nonprofit business retention program offered by the St. Tammany Parish Economic Development Foundation, Florida Marine has focused on retention and expansion of its business and services over the past 14 years in Mandeville, Louisiana.  It purchased the present office building which it is now expanding in 2004.

“We have been very happy in St. Tammany Parish and are pleased to be expanding our offices,” said Dennis A. Pasentine, owner and CEO of Florida Marine.

In addition to the much needed commercial work space that the expansion of new construction will offer, the new campus-style building will also have an outdoor kitchen and courtyard for employee and customer events.  In case of inclement weather, the buildings will be fitted and retrofitted to include backup generators to restore power. The project has been designed by Greenleaf Architects and is being constructed by Kent Design Build.

“We congratulate Florida Marine on their expansion,” Parish President Pat Brister said. “The maritime industry is woven into the fabric of our community, and this growth will provide job opportunities and positive economic impact.”

In addition to the commercial construction of office space in Mandeville, LA, in St. Tammany Parish, Florida Marine is also expanding its shipyard in Harvey.  This West Bank expansion will create 200 additional jobs as well.

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Strong Custom Home Building Numbers in Louisiana

Custom home building is going strong in Louisiana and at Ron Lee Homes in West St. Tammany Parish. The 2014 Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) reports that 34 percent of the homes built in the South Central Region were custom built.  This means the home was built for you the owner, by a custom home builder, who will either build on your lot or build on a lot owned or purchased by the builder in the area of your choice in St. Tammany Parish. The other 66 percent were spec homes (speculatively-built homes) meaning they were houses built for sale or houses finished on a builders’ lot, ready for a home buyer to purchase. The house was sold to the potential buyer at one total sales price instead of selling the house and selling the land separately.

The SOC defines new home starts into several different categories which include houses built for sale, houses built by contractors, homes built by owners and for rent houses.  Not only does the SOC report if the houses are built for sale, by contractors, owners or for rent, they also report if the new home starts are being built in a community development with a homeowner’s association (HOA).  The HOA is created while the development is being built, and then ownership is turned over to a homeowner board which enforces private deed restrictions and maintains common areas.  In 2014 it is reported that 58 percent of single-family homes were built in a community with a homeowner’s association.
Why the uptick in the custom home market?  Many speculate that the limited builders’ means to borrow money via Acquisition Development and Construction (AD&C) loans have put a damper on their ability to purchase land, build a home on the land and sell the house to a potential buyer. Borrower restrictions are not new, so custom home building is the logical route to take for any builder that has vast experience and “comfort” in being able to build custom.  It was estimated that in 2014 one in four new home starts were custom homes. The custom home market is still on the rise and has reached levels above 2012-2013 but is still below the 2008-2011 levels.

At Ron Lee Homes, we build custom homes in many different subdivisions in the area including Terra Bella Village, Bedico Creek Preserve, Maison du Lac, and many more.  These communities also have established homeowners associations as well, and have lots available to buy and build a new custom home.  If you are interested in designing and having the home of your dreams built in St. Tammany Parish, Contact Ron Lee Homes at 985-626-7619 or e-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com.