The National Association of Homebuilders recently released its Improving Markets Index for the month of February. The report attempts to identify U.S. metropolitan areas in which the economy is improving, demonstrating "measurable and sustained growth". 259 U.S. markets are qualified as "improving" this month, a 17-market jump from the month prior and includes participants from all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia. Experts point to improving market conditions in at least one market in all 50 states as a strong indication that the housing recovery is gaining substantial momentum. … [Read more...]

The U.S. economy continues to improve. The National Association of Homebuilders released its Improving Markets Index Tuesday. The report attempts to identify U.S. metropolitan areas in which the economy is improving, demonstrating "measurable and sustained growth". 125 U.S. markets are qualified as "improving" this month, a 22-market jump from the month prior and and all-time high for the index which launched late last year. Compared to November 2011, this month's IMI has climbed more than four-fold, rising from last year's reading of 30. This jump suggests that housing recovery is firmly … [Read more...]

It's not just the housing market that's improving nationwide -- it's the economy overall. The number of U.S. metropolitan areas showing "measurable and sustained growth" climbed to 103 this month. The data is measured by the Improving Markets Index, a monthly metric from the National Association of Homebuilders. The Improving Market Index is meant to identify which U.S. markets are experiencing broad economic growth -- not just growth in terms of housing. The index's conclusions are based on three data series -- each collected separately; each from a different division of the U.S. government; … [Read more...]

The number of U.S. housing markets showing "measurable and sustained growth" has increased by 19 this month, according to the National Association of Homebuilders' Improving Market Index. The Improving Market Index is a monthly report meant to identify U.S. markets in which economic growth is occurring broadly -- not just in terms of home prices. The IMI's conclusions are based on three separately-collected data series, each from a different division of the U.S. government and each tied to specific local economic conditions. In this way, the Improving Market Index gives a better idea of which … [Read more...]

80 U.S. metropolitan markets are showing "measurable and sustained growth" this month, according to the National Association of Homebuilders' Improving Market Index. It's good news for the economy and good news for housing.  The NAHB's Improving Market Index is meant to identify U.S. markets in expansion. It's a composite of the three distinct data sets which, as a group, present a more holistic view of a given city's growth : From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the IMI tracks employment figures From Freddie Mac, the IMI tracks home price data From the Census Bureau, the IMI tracks … [Read more...]