While single-family construction continued to climb in August, it wasn’t enough to keep the five-month new residential construction hot streak alive. For the first time in five-months, permit numbers took a slight dip, down one percent when compared to this month last year. Year-to-date single-family permits are up 10 percent compared to 2015 and all new construction permits year-to-date are up 9 percent.

The second quarter update indicates that U.S. housing starts are expected to advance gradually and hit 1.18 million this year, with 813,000 of those being single family homes as defined by the Commerce Department. Multi-family housing starts are expected to decrease slightly to 375,000 as it begins to take a back seat to the recovery in single family homes.

Labor day marks the ramping up of campaign season, meaning you're about to have a whole lot more political chatter and ads filling your social feeds. Get the housing industry campaign perspective from your Housing First Network. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and be sure to check our blog for daily updates. 

BATC Related Headlines

Twin Cities Builders Turn Attention From Apartments to New Homes
Star Tribune Coverage of the August permit numbers. Read more >>

Pace of Growth Slows for Single-Family Permits in Twin Cities
Finance and Commerce coverage of the August permit numbers. Read more >>

Home Sales Fall in July Amid Inventory Shortage
Sales of existing homes fell 3.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.39 million according to the National Association of Realtors. Read more >>

Call for Reggie Judges

Do you love the housing industry and want to see some of the best of the best? You can while giving back! We still need a few Reggie judges. You'll be asked to attend the orientation and final selection meeting. Click here for complete details (including compensation info.) and to RSVP to judge.  When RSVP’ing you’ll be asked to provide a low and high number correlating to the price range you feel qualified to judge.

Want to Get Involved?

We are looking for members to serve on the BATC Buck Auction Task Force. This would be a great spot for anyone who wants to get involved, but can only give a few hours. Contact Nicole (651)697-7571 for more information.  

Join us for the Energy Efficiency Conference!

Builders • Remodelers • Building Officials • Suppliers

Tuesday, October 25 • 7:30 am-Noon • $39 per person 

Green Building, High Performance and Building Science
Presented by Peter Yost 
How Green Building, High Performance and Building Science relate—and how to use them in a different ways with your crews and trades.

Peter Yost is a principal and VP of Technical Services with BuildingGreen, Inc. in Brattleboro, VT. He has been building, researching, teaching, writing, and consulting on high performance buildings for more than 25 years. His expertise includes advanced framing, energy efficiency and building durability. In 2014, Peter was awarded NAHB Educator of the Year Award.

The morning also includes breakfast and a forum on changes in energy programs by Xcel Energy and CenterPoint. 

3 Hours of Continuing Education Credit: MN Contractor (including energy), WI Contractor, MN Real Estate, MN Building Official

September 10 - Oct. 2
Parade of Homes
September 20
BATC Foundation Golf Tournament 
September 30 - Oct. 2
Remodelers Showcase
October 4
Clay Shoot [Register]
October 19
Small Volume Builders & Remodelers Roundtable 
October 20
The BIG Night [Register]
October 25
Green Path Energy Efficiency Conference [Register]

For a complete list of events, visit our website at www.batc.org