If you walked the aisles at this year’s International Builders Show, you could feel it. The vibe wasn’t panic. It wasn’t euphoria. It was something in between – a cautious optimism that maybe, just maybe, the worst is behind us. Traffic anecdotes sounded a little better. Some builders spoke about steadier January sales activity. Conversations […]
January “green shoots” won’t tell homebuilders what July will Read More »
A delayed December new-home sales release showed a slight increase in 2025 over a year earlier, but median new-home sales prices decreased, reflecting a challenging homebuilding market weighed down by cost reductions, elevated incentives and a slower-than-expected sales pace. “New home sales ended 2025 on a mixed but resilient note, signaling steady underlying demand despite
2025 new-home sales inched up; concessions weakened prices Read More »
Today’s headwinds new-home market rewards homebuilding teams that do the hardest things the best. In that light, a glib explanation for Toll Brothers’ Q1 2026 performance would be to point to geography and demographics: a luxury buyer profile, higher incomes and lower sensitivity to mortgage rates. The harder – and more reality-grounded – explanation is
For Toll Brothers, disciplined execution beats market uncertainty Read More »
Loan applications for newly constructed homes increased 19% between December and January, benefitting from how housing starts performed at the end of 2025, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Processing Content Year-over-year, however, volume increased by just 2%, the MBA’s Builder Application Survey reported. Rates for the 30-year fixed reached a three-year low at 6.09%
New home mortgage applications up as starts end 2025 strong Read More »
Single-family housing starts ticked up in December, but were down about 7.0% year-over-year in 2025. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), new residential construction is expected to stay relatively flat this year, but could rebound in 2027 if mortgage rates inch lower and pent-up demand enters the housing market. Census data released
2025 housing starts fell 7%, but builders glimpse clues of an uptick Read More »
Toll Brothers Inc. fell short of analysts’ estimates for quarterly orders, signaling that fewer people are signing contracts to build homes as high prices and economic uncertainty hold some buyers back. Processing Content The luxury home builder said Tuesday that it had 2,303 signed contracts for the three months ending Jan. 31, missing analyst estimates
Toll Brothers misses orders estimates amid slow housing market Read More »
US homebuilders’ confidence slipped again this month, bogged down by persistent worries over affordability and high construction costs. Processing Content An index of market conditions from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo edged down in February to 36, the lowest level since September. That fell short of all but one estimate in
Homebuilder sentiment dips to 5-month low on affordability Read More »
Many more people know how to do their job, than know why a given approach works. This can cause severe and unknown risk, because if circumstances change, the previous “right” solution may no longer work, or opportunities may be missed. A couple of examples: Risk Example In the mid- to late 1990s, as Sacramento was
Scott Cox: If you don’t know the why, you may miss the signal Read More »
Like it or not, for consumers in today’s market for a newly built home – especially younger, more price- and interest-rate sensitive ones – a home builder is a homebuilder is a homebuilder. Product, price, and location may reveal nuanced differences, and offer a finite toolbox of motivators – i.e. incentives. Other than those nuances,
Beazer Homes’ key differentiator? Sustainability and innovation Read More »
Here’s something I’ve been turning over in my head as we grind our way into Spring Selling 2026 — one that feels especially relevant for homebuilders and every functional leader who’s trying to steer a business through a tougher, noisier, more skeptical market: If your marketing only works when everything goes right, it’s not a
Stop marketing moments; start designing systems Read More »