July: Good month for homebuilders
Homebuilders are feeling more confident as more people enter the market to buy homes and fewer homes are being left on the market.
Buyers are continuing to reenter the housing market, and the housing market index — a measure of activity among homebuilders — kept up an upward trend in July.
SoldAtTheTop
(NAHB) released their latest Housing Market Index (HMI) showing that assessments of housing activity improved notably in July with the composite HMI index climbing to 57, the highest level seen since early 2006, while the "buyer traffic" index also improved, rising to a level of 45.
It's important to note that July continued to firmly reverse the weakening trend seen earlier in the year, suggesting that activity in the new home market has picked up notably and is remaining strong even beyond the traditionally strong first quarter period.
Looking at the data, it is fairly clear that the last year 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.