Homebuilder confidence hit 4-month high in October. Here's why.
According to the latest data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), confidence among home builders rose to a four-month high in October. Jim Tobin, NAHB CEO, joins Wealth! to break down the state of the housing market and how the election may impact home builders. Tobin explains that home builder confidence is up because of falling interest rates. He tells Yahoo Finance that the Federal Reserve's rate-cutting cycle "is really giving our members, and our survey members in particular, a feeling that we're on the backside of the bad news and that we are looking forward to a lower interest rate environment, certainly for mortgage rates in the future, and that the market is going to come back strong." As the election looms ahead, Tobin explains, "I travel all over the country, talk to builders and homebuyers everywhere. And there really is this kind of constriction in the market because of the political environment right now. Knowing who's going to be at the top of the economy and what kind of philosophy is going to take hold as far as the next four years, I think has really kind of put people in a bit of a pause here, even though rates have fallen." With so much uncertainty, he advises against waiting on the sidelines for Congress to act. While the Harris Campaign has promised incentives for both home buyers and builders, he explains that these plans will have to work their way through Congress, which could take a long time before coming into law. He adds that both candidates see housing — particularly supply — as a top priority. He particularly likes policies focused on supply more than on prices, like measures such as rent control. "I think anything that suppresses prices artificially and gets federal intervention into the marketplace, that scares me," he says. "I think overall, the fact that we've got both candidates talking about housing really earns them a lot of credibility in our builders' minds, and gives us opportunity that no matter who wins the white House, housing is going to be the top of their agenda," Tobin concludes. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Wealth here. This post was written by Melanie Riehl
