The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) survey reports builder confidence dropped two points to a composite score of 42 in March as concerns over rising material costs, tight credit, shortages of skilled labor and available lots nag at the market for newly built, single-family homes. As MHProNews knows the survey is based on builders’ perceptions of current sales, sales expectations, and traffic of prospective buyers for the next six months, and has been used by the NAHB for 25 years. Any score above 50 indicates builders think conditions are good, whereas any number below 50 is interpreted as meaning conditions are poor. Regionally, based on a three-month moving average of HMI scores, the Northeast remained at 38, the Midwest lost two points to 45, the South suffered a four-point decline to 42, and the West lost three points to settle at 55.
