Total housing starts in December
posted a 15.5 percent decline, to 550,000 units,
while single-family housing starts declined for
the eighth straight month to 398,000. Both
numbers are all-time lows. The single-family
starts in December were a 13.5 percent decrease
from November. The overall 2008 housing starts
fell 33.3 percent, to 904,300.
The National Association of Home
Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI)
reached a new record low of 8 in January. All of
the HMI's component indexes remained at or near
historic lows this month. The index gauging
current sales conditions had a two-point decline
to 6, while the indices gauging sales
expectations for the next six months and traffic
of prospective buyers each rose a single point,
to 17 and 8, respectively. Any number over 50
indicates that more builders view sales
conditions as good than poor (Reprint from
Hardwood Floors Magazine Jan 2009)
