You can tell a lot about your local housing market by paying attention to where new homes are being built. Home builders don’t build in areas people don’t want to live. So the locations with the most building activity are likely the most desirable to home buyers. During the early days of the pandemic, there was a shift in buying patterns that led more Americans to search for homes further away from city centers. That suburban shift was well documented and, according to a new analysis from the National Association of Home Builders, has continued through 2021. In short, new-home construction is still growing fastest in the suburbs and exurbs. But as things have gotten back to normal and more remote workers have returned to the office, there’s also been a return of single-family home building in high-density markets. For example, in 2020, home building in exurbs grew at twice the rate it did in large metro areas. This year, the gap between the two has narrowed significantly. What does this mean? Well, it means more Americans are looking to buy near big cities and, if you’re among them, you likely find more new homes available for sale. (source)
