NAHB is projecting that multifamily starts will increase 20 percent in 2013 to 296,000 units and rise an additional 10 percent to 326,000 units next year, which Crowe characterized as a normal level of multifamily production.
Meanwhile, residential remodeling has returned to previously normal levels of the early 2000s and remodeling activity is expected to register a modest gain this year over 2012.
“Our Remodeling Market Index has been above 50 for three of the last four quarters, indicating that remodelers feel things are going better,” said Crowe. “Remodeling did not fall as much, so it does not have as much ground to make up.”
Dodging a Bullet
Regarding the uncertainties emanating out of Washington over the government shutdown and the impending Oct. 17 deadline when the government will run out of cash to pay its bills, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, expressed optimism that Congress will move quickly to resolve these critical issues.
“I truly anticipate that lawmakers will get it together, but that is definitely a challenge to my economic outlook,” said Zandi. “If policymakers can’t get it together by Oct. 17, we’re toast, and I think we are going into recession.”?
