This Chart of New Home Construction Looks Surprisingly Good Despite Biggest Hit in 40 Years

This Chart of New Home Construction Looks Surprisingly Good Despite Biggest Hit in 40 Years

While the March residential construction report from the U.S Census Bureau is grim, one can find a small glimmer of optimism in the fact that, while housing starts fell off a cliff, there was much less damage done to permits . Perhaps this means builders are envisioning a pause in construction rather than a total collapse. Robert Dietz, an economist with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) points out that, despite the mitigation efforts to control spread of the COVID-19 virus, construction can continue in a majority of states, "as home building is deemed an essential business activity. We estimate that approximately 90% of single-family units under construction are located in 'essential' states and 80% of apartment units are located in such states." In any case, housing starts