Each Monday, we'll let you know what's coming in the week ahead, including important residential and commercial report releases, as well as our own feature articles.
New home sales — July 26
The Commerce Department will release new home sales data for June on Tuesday, July 26. Last month, the department announced new home sales dropped 6.0% between April and May to an annual rate of 551,000.
New home sales, which represent about 10% of all home sales, are a volatile statistic and are often revised. Economists considered the unexpectedly strong pace of new home sales in April "unsustainable" and said the dip in May gave a better indication of the current trend of a slowly strengthening housing market
So far this month housing market reports have been mixed, as builder confidence slipped one point and housing starts increased 4.8%. Will Tuesday's new home sales data offer a positive sign for the residential industry?
New tech in the field feature article — July 26
When the phrase "construction technology" comes up, industry professionals often think of high-level project management or modeling tools that foremen and workers never see. However, there have been advancements that make the every day work of hands-on employees significantly easier, as well as more productive.
In our feature article on Tuesday, July 26, we'll explore some of the technologies that focus on workers in the field and hear from a few of the companies behind those new advancements.
Pending home sales — July 27
The National Association of Realtors will release pending home sales data for June on Wednesday, July 27. Last month, the NAR reported pending sales dropped 3.7% in May to a rate of 110.8, down from the downwardly revised rate of 115.0 in April.
May's rate was 0.2% lower than May 2015 — marking the first time in nearly two years that pending sales declined year over year. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun blamed the slump in pending home sales on the faster pace of sales in recent months snatching available properties off the market.
Will pending sales rebound this month after a disappointing May?
Trends in sports construction feature article — July 28
Sports venue design isn't just about showing off the team. It's also about making the fan experience more comfortable and memorable. In our feature article on Thursday, July 28, we'll talk with construction industry experts to find out the latest trends in sports venue design, including how they keep ticket-holders coming back for more.
