HOUSING OUTLOOK APPEARS BRIGHT
The outlook for home construction and sales appear to be bright in the foreseeable future, according to Dr Robert Dietz, Chief Economist for the National Association of Homebuilders. Dr. Dietz spoke to a joint meeting of the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga and the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors on Wednesday August 8th.
There were a number of economic factors,
Dr. Dietz cited as he spoke with the group. The first factor was the continued growth in the nation Growth Domestic Product (GDP) which softened in 2016 but is above 2% for 2017 and projected to continue at this pace through 2019. Next up was the ongoing economic expansion, which is now standing at 97 months and counting. He related this is the 3rd longest expansion in US history and is currently only eclipsed by a period in early 90’s and early 1960’s.
Another positive factor is the low unemployment rate both locally and nationally. He termed the labor market as being “tight” and addressed the shortage of skilled labor needed in the residential construction industry. The labor pool in this sector is aging and vocational education as well as on the job training programs are needed to prevent this from becoming a drain on the industry in the near future.
Dr. Dietz brought the group up to speed on household debt and it’s shift since the 2008 reces-
sion. As a result of reduced mortgage interest rates, the average home owner spends 4.4% of their disposable income on mortgages compared to 7.2% in 2008. At the same time, overall consumer debt declined until 2013 and has now risen to 5.6%. To dig deeper he noted that credit card debit is lower than 2008 levels, but automobile loans are 144% of the 2008 number and Student loans are up 220% in comparison to the same period.
Again, on the positive side, Dr. Dietz addressed population growth, as Chattanooga is growing faster than the nation, which is a good sign for the housing industry. One of the attractive points for moving to
the Greater Chattanooga area is the overall affordability of housing. While home prices have rebounded since the recession and price correction, overall housing cost is well below the national average.
While the overall size of new construction lots is shrinking on average, the price of these lots is increasing. The cost of land and it’s development is impacting the overall cost of new construction, much like the increasing cost of lumber. He related developers are shrinking the lot sizes in efforts to control the overall cost of each home and support affordable housing.
The Greater Chattanooga Association of REALTORS is The Voice of Real Estate in Greater Chattanooga. The Association is a regional organization with more than 1,800 members
and is one of more than 1,400 local boards and associations of Realtors nationwide that comprise the National Association of Realtors.
GCAR services Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee, and Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties in northwest Georgia. Go to www. GCAR.net for more information