In a sign that the home-building industry is set for a busy spring season, John Burns Real Estate Consulting Inc. reports a survey of home builders indicates Feb. 2015 sales were up 12 percent from the same month last year. Gains were strongest in the West and Northwest, he says of the 213 local builders contacted, as wsj informs MHProNews. Cautioning that last year’s sales were terrible, which could skew these numbers, Mr. Burns expects sales to rise 10-15 percent this year.

The Commerce Department reports sales for Dec. 2014 and Jan. 2015 were close to six year highs; and Shea Homes LP, with operations in nine states, says its orders for 404 homes in Jan. and Feb. represented a 34 percent increase over the same time last year.

A Wells Fargo Securities LLC survey of 150 sales managers at home builders across the nation reveals that 45 percent of respondents reported better-than-expected sales orders in Feb., the highest in the survey since June 2013.

While new home sales moved up only 1.8 percent last year, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) anticipates an increase of 24.5 percent in 2015. The Commerce Department will release its figures for Feb. on March 24. Meanwhile, sales of manufactured homes have risen monthly for nearly six consecutive years. ##

(Image credit: globest.com–housing recovery)

   Article submitted by Matthew J. Silver to Daily Business News-MHProNews.