from builderonline.com Preliminary results of a McGraw-Hill Construction/National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) survey indicated that there was a 20% increase in 2005 among those in the home building community who are focusing their attention on green, environmentally- responsible building, which is expected to increase by another 30% this year. The research findings will be […]

from USAToday The Federal Reserve will raise interest rates slightly more than expected, in response to brisk economic growth and continued inflation pressures, according to USA TODAY’s quarterly survey of top economists. All 51 economists surveyed April 20-25 expect the Fed to raise its target for short-term interest rates by a quarter-point to 5% at […]

from AP Online Rates on 30-year mortgages climbed this week to their highest point in nearly four years, a development that could put a further crimp in housing activity.Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported Thursday that rates on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.49 percent for the week ending April 13. That was up from 6.43 […]

Federal agencies have proposed to change their requirements for what developers must do to make up for wetlands destroyed by construction projects. One result, agency officials say, could be to encourage use of “mitigation banks,” wetlands tracts that are preserved or newly created that can be used to offset lost wetlands elsewhere. Benjamin Grumbles, the […]

New home sales fell by the biggest amount in almost nine years in February while home prices declined for a fourth straight month, raising concerns that the once high-flying housing market could be in for a rougher-than-expected landing. The Commerce Department reported Friday that sales of new single-family homes dropped by 10.5 percent last month […]