After declining for four years, a number of key trends-including the average size of the home and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms-reversed course in 2020 as a result of shifting buyer preferences in the wake of COVID-19.

Sales of newly built, single-family homes in January rose 4.3 percent to a 923,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate, from an upwardly revised December reading, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

In summer 2020, NAHB surveyed more than 3,000 home buyers, both recent and prospective, on the types of features they prefer to have in their homes, including eco-friendly components and designs.

The remodeling market declined significantly at the onset of COVID-19 in March and April 2020, but has since more than fully recovered.

"The increase in lumber prices is forcing our company to delay construction starts, which will only exacerbate the lack of supply in our market," said NAHB first vice chairman Jerry Konter, a home builder and developer from Savannah, Georgia.

NAHB analysis of Census data reveals that 34 percent of total multifamily construction occurred in lower density, lower cost markets in 2020.

The National Association of Home Builders named the recipients of the 15th annual NAHB/Builders Mutual Insurance Company Safety Award for Excellence for their commitment to strong safety programs.

The virtual video presentations of each home, in addition to immersive 3-D virtual tours, will be available for all registered attendees during IBSx, February 9-12.

The National Association of Home Builders honored five individuals who have excelled in teaching NAHB education courses and who have displayed notable professionalism as NAHB educational designation holders, naming them the 2020 Educator and Designees of the Year.

Builder confidence in the single-family 55+ housing market remained high in the fourth quarter, inching down one point from an all-time high to 82.