Single-family housing starts were up 4.2% from April and 49.8% from May 2020, at 1,098,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Although pending sales are up 29% from last year, they are starting to slow down, dropping 9.7% from their peak four weeks ago.

Increasing costs and declining availability of key building materials dampened builder sentiment, as higher costs have pushed some new homes beyond the budget of prospective buyers.

Some cities fared better than others with the global pandemic and Houston is one of them, according to The Economist’s 2021 Livability Index’s ranking of the most livable cities in the world.

Rising property values had homeowners cashing out of their existing residences to buy bigger homes in less-expensive areas last year.

Houston’s inventory hits record lows and single-family home prices reach record highs as the city experiences its twelfth consecutive month of positive sales in May.

High-end home sales surged in the three months ended April 30 as prices also rose and listings increased.

With half of all homes in today’s market selling above the asking price, the timing of when to list can have an impact on both time on market and sale price.

“By the time we closed the books on 2020, we had achieved a record year for Houston housing. Halfway through 2021, we are on track to set a new record.” — Richard Miranda, 2021 chairman of the Houston Association of Realtors

Home-price growth remained in double digits for the 10th straight month in May as inventory lows pushed the median listing prices up 15.2% from last year.

Longer-commute areas continued to claim the largest market share in single-family home building, but the construction growth rate was strongest in places with shorter commuting times, the National Association of Home Builders said, citing its quarterly Home Building Geography Index.

Of the 99 million residential properties in the U.S., approximately 1.4 million (or 1.4%) are vacant this quarter, with “zombie” home rates increasing both quarterly (21%) and annually (5.6%).

Special questions added to the National Association of Home Builders’ monthly builder survey found 90% or more of respondents had experienced shortages of plywood, oriented strand board, framing lumber and appliances, with most other materials also hard to come by.

Year over year, however, pending home sales were up 57.1%, the NAR said, citing its monthly Pending Home Sales Index.

New, pending and off-market listings are all down, while the number of closings climbs as Houston’s housing market continues to struggle to keep up with demand.

First-time homebuyers found their long-term plans changed due to COVID.