Housing Snapshot
Mortgage interest rates increased slightly last week but are expected to remain close to their current levels for some time. Framing lumber rose from $327 to $333 per 1,000 board feet, according to Random Lengths, remaining well below a high of $386 in mid-September. OSB mill prices remained at $465 per 1,000 square feet; many producers have order backlogs stretching into next month, with few new orders coming in. The price of plywood remains high but is continuing to trail down slowly: 15/32-inch 3-ply CDX Southern Westside plywood fell from $505 to $485 during the previous week. [ MORE ]
Mortgage Interest Rates
30-Year Fixed-Rate: 6.03%
15-Year Fixed-Rate: 5.39%
1-Year ARM: 3.76%
Housing Starts - Sep. 2003*
Total: 1.89 million
Single-Family Starts: 1.52 million
Multifamily Starts: 368,000
New Home Sales Sep. 2003*
1.145 million
Existing Home Sales Sep. 2003*
6.69 million
* Seasonally adjusted annual rate