Housing starts jumped 3.9 percent in November to the highest level in nearly four years, the government said Friday, reflecting low mortgage rates and an improving economy.
Advances in the Northeast and South offset slight declines in the Midwest and West.The Department of Commerce said construction of new homes and apartments totaled 1.43 million at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, up from a revised 1.38 million in October. The October rate initially was estimated at 1.40 million.
The fourth straight advance pushed the starts level to its highest since a 1.44 million rate in February 1990.
The report was in line with analysts' expectations. Many attribute recent activity to affordable mortgage rates, improved job opportunities and rising consumer confidence.
New construction in November helped boost the number of starts so far this year 6 percent above those of the first 11 months of 1992.
Sales of new homes slipped slightly in October from a four-year high a month earlier but remained at the third highest level of the year.
Some analysts said lean inventories were persuading builders to continue laying new foundations in anticipation of further sales.
The National Association of Home Builders reported that an early December membership survey found 62 percent expecting "good" sales during the next six months.
Although that was down from 72 percent in November, it remained the second highest in 12 months and was accompanied by an 11 percentage point increase, to 32 percent, in those who anticipated "fair" sales. The number expecting "poor" sales slipped to 6 percent from 7 percent.
Applications for building permits - often a barometer of future activity - shot up 4.8 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.37 million. It was the fifth straight advance and the highest level since a 1.75 rate in January 1990.
Contributing to the improving trend in housing were continued low mortgage rates. According to surveys by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 7.16 percent in November, up from 6.83 percent in October, but still 3 percentage points lower than they were just three years ago.
Construction of single-family homes surged 4.5 percent, to a 1.27 million rate, after gaining 4.1 percent a month earlier.
But apartment construction continued to slide, down 0.6 percent to a 163,000 rate, following October's 19.5 percent plunge. Analysts say the multifamily sector continues to suffer from high vacancy rates resulting from overbuilding in the late 1980s.
Regionally, housing starts shot up 17.4 percent in the Northeast, to a 142,000 rate. In the South, starts jumped 8.4 percent, to 635,000, highest since a 647,000 rate in January 1989.
But new construction slipped 2.8 percent in the West, to a 314,000 rate, and 2 percent in the Midwest, to 341,000.