Building News
From Coast to Coast

n Home Buying Aid Boosts Workers' Loyalty

n On Top of Mt. Slag, Homes Sprout

n Top Ten Undervalued Towns

n Construction Spending Up 1.7%

n Real Estate Industry, Feds Team Up on New Terrorism Info Bank

n Playa Vista Project Pushes Wired Homes

n A Mortgage That Stays With You, Not Your House

n An Unusual Builder's Twist

NAHB Advocates Offer Members a Helping Hand

With spring and the beginning of the peak home building season almost here, now is a good time for NAHB members to clear their desks of unfinished business and unsolved problems.

Spring also tends to be a time when localities and state legislatures rev up for deliberations on a wide range of issues that are important to home builders.

On both fronts — the business of building homes and the ongoing battle to assure a top priority for housing on the political agenda — NAHB can be a major ally.  … 

Housing Snapshot

Mortgage interest rates declined to new record lows last week. Added to worries about an imminent war with Iraq was an unexpected jump in claims for unemployment. They were at their highest level this year, and layoffs continued to climb for the third week in a row.

Mortgage Interest Rates
30-Year Fixed-Rate	5.67%
15-Year Fixed-Rate	5.01%
1-Year ARM	3.76%
Housing Starts - Jan. 2003*
Total	1.85 million
Single-Family Starts	1.51 million
Multifamily Starts	340,000
New Home Sales Jan. 2003*	914,000
Existing Home Sales Jan. 2003*	6.09 million
* Seasonally adjusted annual rate

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