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Economists to Examine How Housing Is Holding Up

Speakers will assess how the housing sector will hold up in the face of deteriorating consumer confidence, the war in Iraq and the specter of terrorism at home, a lifeless job market and a fight in Congress over fiscal stimulus.

Panels will include:

• NAHB Economic and Housing Forecast. NAHB David Seiders will look at the components of today’s housing activity and what he expects for housing starts, sales, mortgage rates and the policies of the Federal Reserve Board and the Bush Administration.

• The National Economic and Housing Forecast. David Wyss, of Standard & Poor’s, and Frank Nothaft, of Freddie Mac, will examine the impact of international and domestic policies on a sluggish economy and the housing sector.
• Regional Patterns: What’s Hot and What’s Not? Mark Zandi, of Economy.com, and Stan Duobinis, of NAHB, will look at how housing and the economy are doing in different regions of the country and in local markets.
• State of the Nation’s Housing. Eric Belsky, from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, discusses immigration and other forces shaping the housing market.
• Multifamily Housing: Rental and Condo. Jack Goodman, of Hartrey Advisors, and Ron Whitten, of Whitten Associates, take stock of conditions in the multifamily sector and identify markets where there is an oversupply of apartment vacancies.
• Homes and Home Buyers of Tomorrow. Joan McCloskey, of Better Homes and Gardens, and Gopal Ahluwalia, of NAHB, review consumer preferences and identify features and amenities that will sell homes.

The conference will be held at the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C. For more information, contact the NAHB University of Housing at 800-368-5242 x8338. Or, click here.

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