Home insurance, once little more than an afterthought for buyers in new construction communities, has become an issue that can upend deals, sometimes at the worst time – as they approach closing. What’s causing the insurance challenge? Inflationary pressures and the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters have forced many home insurers to pull […]
The Yes in My Backyard movement took one on the chin in Connecticut, proving once again that debates over legislation to make building housing easier and less expensive do not end even after a bill passes. Despite nearly three weeks of discussions, Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed House Bill 5002, siding with suburban critics who viewed […]
In a homebuilding business environment shaped by economic headwinds, volatile consumer sentiment, and intensifying structural pressures, one thing is clear: digital transformation is no longer a competitive advantage. It’s the new baseline for survival. Across Q2 earnings calls, industry summits, and venture-backed innovation efforts, a singular through-line has emerged—builders and developers who remain tethered to […]
This isn’t just a slowdown. It’s not just a soft spring. Or a sticky-mortgage-rate summer. Or a little breather before another market run. For homebuilding leaders, our current situation is deeper, more consequential, and more dangerous to ignore. According to the Census Bureau and HUD, sales of newly constructed homes plunged in May, falling 13.7% […]
In a move that crystallizes both a structural and situational pivot in the residential development economy, Five Point Holdings’ acquisition of a controlling stake in Hearthstone signals more than just a major real estate investment merger. It serves as another signpost – like Source: Five Point From Millrose to Hearthstone, Landbanks Take Center Stage Lennar’s […]
Homelessness has become such a problem in cities across the country that a few have embraced building “step up” housing to help people move from homelessness to lasting stability. Securing a site and shepherding it through demands extraordinary government effort, coordination, and patience. If a step-up development encroaches on an established neighborhood, it often faces […]
For builders today, stuck between historically high mortgage rates and persistently elevated asking prices, the slowdown in new-home sales feels more like a stall. For some builders, the stall has them in a bind. They’re saddled with lots financed or taken down under rosier economic assumptions — locations that no longer pencil. Focus is 100% […]
The story for the housing market over the past three years has been, “Home sales are down, home prices are up.” Because inventory was so restricted after the pandemic, prices pushed higher even as demand weakened. That story may finally be inverting as unsold inventory of homes is now great enough that home prices are […]
There’s almost nothing worse than feeling “stuck.” Whether it’s not reaching your health goals, failing to achieve that promotion you were working toward at the office, or being in a relationship that doesn’t feel headed in any specific direction at all, as humans, we are geared to move. Our bipedal nature was an evolutionary game […]
After two decades scaling high-volume operations for public builders focused on primarily on first-time and entry-level homebuyers, Randy Mickle is bringing a different kind of ambition to his new role at Drees Homes. Now Southeast Regional President, Mickle joins a multigenerational, family-led company as it pushes to diversify its offerings — including more affordable, smartly […]
When a housing market relies heavily on rate buydowns, it’s no longer operating on organic fundamentals. It becomes a market held together by financial engineering, not real affordability. So while buydowns can be useful in pockets, or temporarily, widespread use is a red flag—a sign that the market is out of balance, with builders subsidizing demand to avoid the harder […]
Homebuilding’s seasonal calendar has turned to summer. For much of the new-home construction industry, the heat is on. The spring selling season—typically the most robust period for new home sales—underwhelmed. As homebuilders look to salvage the remainder of the year, clouds of uncertainty dominate the outlook. A sharp June drop in builder confidence marked the […]
