New home permits lag behind

Report says pace to build houses, duplexes in 4-county area falls short of 2016 numbers

Construction of new homes in metro Milwaukee during the first three quarters of 2017 lagged last year’s pace, a report on home-building permits shows.

Through September, 1,056 permits to build new singlefamily homes or duplexes in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties were issued, according to MTD Marketing Services of Wisconsin Inc. That is about 3% fewer than 1,091 in the first nine months of 2016.

The homes going up in the four-county area are, on average, more expensive and a bit larger than last year, the MTD data indicates. The average value of homes for which permits were sought this year in the Milwaukee metro area was $370,473, and the average square footage was 2,951. That compared with $347,305 and 2,907 square feet a year earlier.

Menomonee Falls has been the most popular place to build a house this year, with 110 permits through September. Other leading areas for home construction permits: Mequon, 81; Pewaukee, 64; Waukesha, 63; and Muskego, 52.

Menomonee Falls and Mequon were among three communities where the Metropolitan Builders Association featured its annual Parade of Homes this summer. The other location was Hartland.

The local builders’ organization, which expected attendance of more than 35,000 during the Parade of Homes, said nearly 40,000 people toured some or all of the 22 houses featured this year.

While home building is down a little in the greater Milwaukee area, construction permits have increased in Wisconsin’s four other largest metro areas, according to MTD.

Through September, permits were up 4.3% in Dane County, to 972 from 932, and 26.2% higher in the Green Bay-Door County area, with 603 compared with 478 in the first nine months of 2016.

In the Fox Valley, 602 home construction permits were issued, a 1.9% increase from 591 in the first three quarters of 2016. In the Racine-Kenosha market, home building permits totaled 537 through September, up 25.5% from the same period last year.