The cost of lumber materials
for a typical two-story house has dipped slightly from last month, but the
current amount is up compared to this time period in 2010 and 2009. United
States softwood lumber exports offshore soared to the highest first-half volume
in more than a decade, according to a recent Random Lengths report. That’s 488
million board feet in the first half, up 77% from the first six months of 2010.
China is still the largest export market for U.S. lumber by a sizeable margin,
and Canadian exports to China are growing significantly.
We’re all aware of the
dismal status of many economic and housing reports recently. But the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has just
released a new monthly economic indicator -- the NAHB/First
American Improving Markets Index (IMI) -- designed to track housing
markets throughout the country that are showing signs of improving economic
health.
“By examining key indicators of home
prices, employment and housing permits data, we are using a comprehensive, but
conservative method in determining which markets are improving,” said NAHB
Chief Economist David Crowe. “Last year at this time, there was not a single
market that showed improvement using these criteria, and now we can point to 12
examples of growth.”
We also want to make you
aware that the Wisconsin Builders Association is seeking
nominations for major awards:
- Builder of the Year
- Associate of the Year
- Hall of Fame
- Rising Star
Nomination forms are
available on the WBA website and are due September 30, 2011. For questions on these awards, please contact Kathy
Johnsen at (608) 242-5151, ext. 12, or kjohnsen@wisbuild.org.
Please
continue to keep us updated on your projects and community involvement, as we
like to share photos and information on our website and social media sites. Thank you for your business
and continued support!
