Single-family Starts at Highest Pace Since Spring of 2007
Led by solid gains in single-family production, overall housing starts increased 4.9 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.53 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.
The October reading of 1.53 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts increased 6.4 percent to a 1.18 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, and are up 8.6 percent year-to-date. The pace of single-family starts was the best since the spring of 2007. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, remained unchanged from the previous month at a 351,000 pace.