"Home builders are getting ready for a stronger construction season, filing for the most building permits in more than three years, in another sign of recovery in the long-battered housing market.
The government reported builders filed for permits at an seasonally adjusted annual rate of 717,000 in February, the strongest reading since October 2008, which was the month after the meltdown in financial markets. It marked a 5.1% rise from January and a 34.3% increase from year-earlier levels.
Actual starts of new homes slipped slightly from a very strong start to the building season in January, down 1.1% to 698,000. Still, that was 35% ahead of starts in February 2011.
The starts are more affected by weather factors. But the permits are generally seen as an indication of builders' confidence in the market and the demand they are seeing. Mortgage rates near record lows and an improving jobs market both are feeding stronger demand.
The construction and permitting of apartments and condos continue to be particularly strong. Permits for buildings with more than one housing unit rose 61% from prior-year levels, and starts of buildings with five or more units jumped 29% from January and were more than double year-earlier levels." [Read more]
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