This week we’re taking a BYTE out of lumber prices, housing anxiety, house prices, we meet the newest builder on the block and take a deep look at our house plan of the week.
Welcome to the BYTE, where we serve up the latest builder news from the last week for you to sink your teeth into.
Lumber stability
It’s been a crazy couple of years for lumber, but prices have stabilized during the past year to a range above pre-pandemic levels. According to price guide newsletter Madison’s Lumber Reporter, in 2019, the average price of benchmark softwood lumber Western Spruce-Pine-Fir was approximately $365 per thousand board feet; to date, the average in 2024 has been $445 per thousand board feet. Read more about market trends here.
Housing anxiety
As nearly 71% of prospective home buyers await rate cuts, 68% say housing costs are causing financial anxiety, according to the latest BMO Real Financial Progress Index. Read more here (if it doesn’t cause you even more anxiety).
Case Shiller
Home prices continued an upward trend in February 2024, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices. Of the 20 major metro markets analyzed, 18 reported month-over-month price increases. We have all of the details here.
New builder on the block
After acquiring Mobius Construction in Greenville, South Carolina, Trehel—a privately held general contractor—has launched Trehel Tailored Homes to build high-end custom homes in the upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina markets. Meet them over here.
And finally…
With summer fast approaching, lakefront house plans feel right. Here’s a new design with a contemporary open layout.
