Here for a good time, not a long time:U.S. housing market remains sunny, but there are clouds on the horizon

摘要

U.S. new home sales have risen steadily for nearly a decade, but cracks are emerging in this major Canadian wood export market. So said Robert Dietz, chief economist and senior vice-president for economics and housing policy with the National Association of Home Builders, in his keynote address at the Montreal Wood Convention, held March 19-21."Consumer confidence remains high," noted Dietz. "However, affordability is becoming an issue. We have to ask ourselves, 'Has the U.S. home market peaked?'"Key data suggest the contrary. U.S. consumer confidence remains on a 10-year uptrend. Mortgage payments as a percentage of household income are falling. New home sales rose by 4.9 percent to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 667,000 units during February of 2019, according to the United States Census Bureau. The median price of those homes rose to $315,300. These developments follow a strong 2018, during which both sales and average prices edged up.