The number of homes under construction rose during the month, as homebuilders continued to work through a large backlog of homes. 

Mortgage rates continued to weigh on homebuyers in September, following a brief uptick in new-home sales in August.  

New home construction missed analyst estimates in September, falling 8.1% month over month to an annual rate 1,439,000 homes, according to government statistics. 

Sales of new homes in the U.S. jumped 28.8% between July and August, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  

New-home construction posted a 12.2% month-over-month increase in August, thanks in large part to a significant jump in multifamily building.  

The median price of a new home sold during the month was up 5.9%, however, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

A new mixed-income, mixed-use community is coming to Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood: Park Station Lofts. Ground is expected to break soon.

The pace of new multifamily construction, however, jumped, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot took her affordable housing plan a step further in late June, requesting an additional $69 million in funds — this comes after a $1 billion investment in the program from the city in December.

New-home inventory rose to 444,000 homes in May from 437,000 homes in April, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported.  

New-home completions rose during the month, however, with the increased inventory representing a rare bright spot in an otherwise gloomy government report. 

The rate of new single-family home sales fell 16.6% from March’s revised number, while the median sales price jumped to $450,600 from March’s revised median house price of $435,000. 

“Builders are responding to higher mortgage rates and are chasing rising rents, with fewer homebuyers and more renters being forced to renew their leases.” — NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun 

Low inventory and rising interest rates have reduced prospective homebuyer purchasing power. 

Affordability and supply-chain issues continued to weigh on the sales of new single-family residences.

“More groundbreaking is welcome news for a supply-starved housing market.” — First American deputy chief economist Odeta Kushi