Posts from January 2026

Building Product Suppliers Enter 2026 Under Price/Cost Pressure

January 29, 2026 by McClaran Hayes

Building products manufacturers are walking a tightrope into 2026, as input costs are still elevated (and in some cases re-accelerating), but the ability to push through pricing remains constrained by a soft residential volume backdrop and increasingly aggressive customer demands.

Filed Under
home improvement

Faith, Not Fundamentals: The Apartment Sector’s Defining Conflict in 2026

January 23, 2026 by Mark Franceski

An important theme for 2026 in the apartment sector will be the conflict between operating fundamentals and the transaction market. On the one hand, optimism abounds for a more liquid transaction market this year as capital allocators have plentiful funds, clear mandates, and a firmly positive stance toward the near-to-medium-term direction of the sector...

Filed Under
apartments

Housing Policy Takes Center Stage… Carrots and Sticks Galore!

January 16, 2026 by Alan Ratner

It’s been a dizzying start to the year for the homebuilding industry. Since October, President Trump, FHFA Director Pulte and other White House officials have been meeting with homebuilding executives to discuss the country’s housing affordability crisis and what steps the industry and government can take to relieve this burden on potential homebuyers...

Filed Under
affordability home pricing homebuilding homeownership interest rates mortgage mortgage rates

Cautiously Optimistic on the Main Course for 2026… with a Side of Wage Garnishment

January 08, 2026 by Ryan McKeveny

Looking ahead to 2026 for the housing market and its various subsectors, there are several reasons for optimism. We enter 2026 with mortgage rates at 6.2%, down 75 basis points from a year ago and near the lowest levels since 3Q22. Combined with home price growth that has lagged income growth over the last year – a trend we expect to continue...

Filed Under
affordability home improvement home pricing homeownership interest rates macro housing mortgage mortgage rates