REI Wealth Magazine Featuring Paul Finck | Page 116
Issues with construction in population booming areas
face a twopronged challenge – not enough qualified
workers for residential projects and not enough funding.
Hyde writes, “Home developers and cities are competing
with projects in the Greater Houston area, such as the
construction of the new Exxon Mobil campus in Spring
and the continued construction of the Grand Parkway.
These major projects have contributed to the lag in
home construction as there are fewer skilled laborers
available. ‘That is exactly why we cannot keep up with
building homes fast enough,’ Reichert said. ‘There are
just not enough workers out there to build homes [and]
builders struggle on a daily basis to find workers.’”
While all of the construction that is being completed in
booming areas may seem like a good thing, there are
also ancillary issues. Hyde writes, “The shortage in
laborers and influx of construction projects has also led
to an increase in the price of construction materials,
which has directly caused housing prices to increase,
Reichert said. Since 2011 material costs have increased
by 11.7 percent and are expected to climb through June
2016, according to the national construction
management company Turner Construction Company’s
price index.”
Not only are homeowners faced with fewer
properties to choose from and fewer new construction
projects, but the new construction they do find may cost
the average homeowner more money than they can
afford to spend. With rising construction material costs,
the associated increase in new construction prices may
prove to be too much for homeowners. These
homeowners may end up staying in their current home
to avoid the problem.
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Changes in Season Effect Inventory
Another contributing factor to the shortage in real
estate inventory is the upcoming change in season. While
spring markets generally show expansion as more and
more property owners put their homes on the market, the
opposite it true during the fall and winter months,
especially in the cold weather climates. Said Lawrence
Yun, “As winter approaches, inventory will slide further.
Few homes are newly listed after Thanksgiving.
Historically, inventory tends to be 15 percent lower in
winter than summer. Last year’s seasonal decline was
even more dramatic, at 25 percent. We hope we won’t
see an inventory decline of that magnitude this winter.
Home values rising much faster than income growth will
markedly cut into housing affordability.”
The contraction in the market will pull many
properties off of the market with buyers still looking to
purchase homes. Being able to find a property during
any time of the year is becoming a significant challenge
for buyers who want to have several homes they can
investigate.
Alternative Leads are the Solution
Is there a way to solve the lack of leads currently
occurring in the real estate market? There is. For real
estate investors who want to continue to profit no matter
the market, looking to alternative leads is the best
strategy. These leads – found in the probate, divorce and
bankruptcy industries – are the best way for investors to
find homes and commercial properties despite the
shortage in the United States.