Market Insights

The emerging demographic is the source of growing demand.

Housing prices will remain depressed for the next several years and may get even worse, according to a just-released survey of economists, analysts, investors and housing experts. The survey was conducted by MacroMarkets, a firm founded by Yale University professor Robert Shiller.

Research from Zillow Digs found that second thoughts are common among DIYers.

The two-day HIRI Home Improvement Industry Summit to be held Oct. 19 to 20 in Chicago at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza, will kick off with a presentation examining economic turmoil and a view from Wall Street.

Josh Rosenbaum, managing director – global industrial group for UBS, will offer thoughts on the direction of the economy, the possibility of another recession, the mood on Wall Street and the unemployment situation. The presentation will address the hottest issues facing the economy and the industry from a Wall Street perspective.

Zillow.com points to down payments as the biggest hurdle to home ownership among renters.

Why the housing market didn't lead us out of the recession, and other insights

Housing production in California, fueled largely by multi-family building projects, posted the highest monthly permit total for the year in May, according to statistics compiled by the Construction Industry Research Board (CIRB).

Permits were pulled for 4,630 total housing units in May, up 42% from the same month a year ago and up 28% from April. Permits for single-family homes totaled 1,908, down 7% from May 2010 and down 6% from the previous month, while multi-family permits totaled 2,722, up 124% from a year ago and up 71% from April.

Residential remodeling activity continued to rise across the United States, showing a 15% increase in April 2011 in year-over-year comparisons, according to an index compiled by BuildFax, which uses a national database of building permit data. 

The latest BuildFax Remodeling Index (BFRI) indicates that residential remodeling activity registered its eighteenth-straight month gain.