A new Homes.org analysis highlights the key findings of last month's U.S. Commerce Department Housing Starts report and examines where new housing units are being built and what's likely to happen in the months to come based on performance last month.
Key findings in the April 2012 Housing Start Report include:
- 715,000 building permits for privately owned housing units authorized
- 717,000 privately owned housing starts
- 492,000 single-family housing starts
- 651,000 privately owned housing completions
- 489,000 single-family housing completions
Building permits
April 2012 saw double digit increases in building permits for privately owned housing units in every regions in the country. The South was the most active by far, as they were the year before. Below are details on how the April 2012 total number of permits compare to last year's totals:
Northeast
April 2012 — 81,000 / April 2011 — 61,000
Change: 32.8 percent increase
Midwest
April 2012 — 114,000 / April 2011 — 97,000
Change: 17.5 percent increase
South
April 2012 — 359,000 / April 2011 — 296,000
Change: 21.3 percent increase
West
April 2012 — 161,000 / April 2011 — 124,000
Change: 29.8 percent increase
Housing starts
Year-over-year housing start in April were up across the country, particularly in the South which had both the largest total number of starts and the biggest increase when compared to 2011. Below are details on how this year's totals compare to last year across all 4 regions.
Northeast
April 2012 — 69,000 / April 2011 — 58,000
Change: 19 percent increase
Midwest
April 2012 —127,000 / April 2011 — 96,000
Change: 32.3 percent increase
South
April 2012 — 385,000 / April 2011 — 278,000
Change: 38.5 percent increase
West
April 2012 — 136,000 / April 2011 — 120,000
Change: 13.3 percent increase
Housing completions
In April there were more privately owned housing units completed in the South than in any other region in the U.S. However, while 3 of the 4 regions saw increases compared to the year before, the West experienced the largest gains. Below are the April totals for each region and how they compare to last year's totals.
Northeast
April 2012 — 69,000 / April 2011 — 66,000
Change: 4.5 percent increase
Midwest
April 2012 — 98,000 / April 2011 — 98,000
Change: 0 percent
South
April 2012 — 328,000 / April 2011 — 277,000
Change: 18.4 percent increase
West
April 2012 — 156,000 / April 2011 — 101,000
Change: 54.5 percent increase
Building is clearly much more active this year, a positive sign that points to recovery in the housing market. Though the permit numbers were down in April compared to March, both housing starts and completions increased. Based off of the last 12 months, it is highly likely that building will increase as we move into the summer season.
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