To say there's a housing shortage is an understatement...
There are more buyers in the market than there are homes by a wide margin. And last month, we saw another sign of that imbalance.
Mortgage finance company Freddie Mac recently came out with a shocking number. Homebuilders need to build 3.8 million single-family homes to meet current buyer demand in the U.S... marking a 52% increase in the housing shortage since 2018.
That's a huge jump in just a few short years. And it highlights how extreme the imbalance is in the housing market today.
Right now, supply is near all-time lows. And that's likely to send U.S. home prices even higher.
Let me explain...
The housing market might feel a bit crazy right now. Prices have soared to new heights in 2021. But higher prices alone don't signal that a top is near.
In fact, those higher prices are likely to keep climbing.
When supply can't keep up with demand, home prices are bound to rise. That's economics in action. And today, housing supply remains near all-time lows.
We can see this through the U.S. Existing Home Sales Months Supply Index. This index measures how long it would take to sell the current supply of homes on the market.
Today, it would take just two months to sell off all existing inventory. Take a look...
Existing home supply hit a record low of 1.9 in January. Today, it would still take just two months to wipe out all U.S. housing inventory based on current demand.
If you look at the early 2000s housing boom, home supply hovered around four months. That's relatively low based on history. And housing prices soared back then...
Home prices rallied more than 85% from early 2000 to mid-2006. That's a big jump in just six years. We've seen a similar boom since supply dropped back to around four months in 2012.
Prices are up 63% from the end of 2012 to the end of 2020. The same lack of supply that drove home prices higher back then is still in place today.
So yes... the recent surge in the housing market might feel crazy. But it isn't a sign that the top is near.
It's simply a result of a major lack of supply. Homebuilders need to put up millions of homes to close this gap. They'll do it. But it won't happen overnight.
So while the housing market is crazy – with homes selling lightning fast and prices soaring – you shouldn't bet on a crash anytime soon. Prices can still move much higher from here.
Good investing,
Chris Igou
Further Reading
"If you're a property owner, you've likely noticed real estate prices going up in your area over the last year," Chris writes. And with housing prices skyrocketing, real estate stocks are likely to follow... Read more here: Real Estate Stocks Are Poised for a Double-Digit Rally.
"When it comes to housing, it's always about supply and demand," Steve says. And with the supply imbalance we're seeing right now, home prices can keep soaring even higher... Get the full story here: Why the Housing Boom Is Nowhere Near Over.
The housing boom goes way beyond homebuilders. And the company that touches nearly every aspect of the housing market is likely to rally as home prices continue to rise...
ANOTHER MASSIVE RUN-UP FROM THE U.S. HOUSING BOOM
Today, we're highlighting a company that's benefiting from the red-hot housing market...
As we shared today, the U.S. housing market has been booming. Americans are looking to buy houses, but inventory is low. Homebuilders are cranking up production in order to keep up with the raging demand. And today's company is thriving as a result...
Louisiana-Pacific (LPX) is a $10 billion leading wood manufacturer. It offers a wide variety of products for homebuilders and homeowners, such as trim and siding, fencing, and sub-flooring. And with today's huge demand for new homes, Louisiana-Pacific had an excellent first quarter... The company reported net sales of $1 billion, up an impressive 74% year over year. This was partially driven by a record-high $285 million in siding sales.
As you can see in today's chart, LPX shares are performing well. They're up an incredible 450% from last year's lows... And they recently hit a fresh all-time high. As the U.S. housing market continues to explode, this trend should continue...
