Week of September 5, 2005
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A forecast advisory for Hurricane Katrina from the National Weather Service.

Economists Begin to Assess Katrina’s Toll on Housing

While the full extent of the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the overall economy and on the housing market is still unclear, and the immediate concern has focused on human life and health, economists at NAHB are beginning to assess the impact that the catastrophe will have on the housing industry.

The number of homes destroyed last week is almost certain to dwarf the losses from any previous U.S. natural disaster. Past experience, together with the visible devastation, has provided some basis for housing analysts at NAHB to project the effects on construction activity, the supply and cost of building materials and construction labor, and other implications for the housing market. ...

Framing Lumber Composite $ 375 $ 20
OSB Composite $ 365 $ 64
Southern Pine Plywood Composite $ 533 $ 57
With permission from: www.randomlengths.com 

Floor Plans: A Taste of Elegance, A Touch of Tuscany

Builder:
Maracay Homes (www.maracayhomes.com)
Architect:
Bloodgood Sharp Buster (www.bsbdesign.com)

The rhythmic rooflines, natural looking materials, iron details, soft colors and graceful arches of the LaVerna model, by Maracay Homes, would be right at home in the Tuscan countryside. But this 3,943-square-foot home designed by Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects and Planners is nestled in the Villa de Sorano neighborhood of Phoenix, and looks just as appropriate there. ...

 

NAHB Establishes Relief Fund for Katrina Victims

Through the National Housing Endowment, NAHB has established a relief fund for home builders associations and their members to make contributions to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. ...

Low-Income Housing Can Be Used for Hurricane Victims

The IRS and Treasury Department have announced they are waiving rules that prohibit owners of low-income housing from providing that housing to victims of Hurricane Katrina who do not qualify as low-income. The action is aimed at expanding the availability of housing for disaster victims and their families. ...

Nation's Building News Will Not Be Published Sept. 12

Nation's Building News will not be published on Sept. 12, following the fall NAHB Board of Directors meeting in Reno, Nev. It will return to its regular weekly schedule with the Sept. 19 issue.  ...

Interest Rates  
  30-Yr. Fixed: 5.71% 15-Yr. Fixed: 5.32% 5 Yr. ARM: 5.30%
  1 Yr. ARM: 4.48% Libor (3 months): 3.79% Prime: 6.50%
Housing Starts*  (July 2005)
  Total: 2.042 million Single: 1.711 million Multi: 331,000
Home Sales*  (July 2005)
  New: 1.410 million Existing: 7.16 million  
Median Home Prices  (July 2005)
  New: $203,800 Existing: $218,000  
* Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate

   
 
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Miller Advises Against Setting a Dangerous Precedent by "Downsizing" the GSEs
What Makes Freddie Mac a Good Idea?
 
   
 
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