CoreLogic Home Price Index — Oct. 6

CoreLogic will release its August Home Price Index also on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Last month, CoreLogic announced home prices, including distressed sales, across the U.S. increased 1.7% between June and July, and 6.9% between July 2014 and July 2015.

In its September report, CoreLogic predicted a slowdown in home prices between July and August, with an estimated rise of only 0.5%. If that slowdown does occur, it could be welcome news for builders, who have seen potential buyers shying away from entering the market due to a lack of inventory and rising prices.

Glass shortage update — Oct. 7

Construction Dive writer Kim Slowey will offer an update on the glass shortage plaguing the commercial construction industry on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

We reported last month that, amidst a construction boom of office and apartment buildings across the U.S., builders are reporting that a glass shortage is adding substantial costs to projects and causing lengthy delays. Curtain-wall prices have risen more than 30% in the past 18 months, as glass manufacturers struggle to keep up with the increased demand.

But where does the issue stand now? Has the shortage worsened, or improved in the last month? Check back on Wednesday for an in-depth look at the situation.

"Tiny house trends" — Oct. 9

Construction Dive editor Emily Peiffer’s third installment of the “Tiny house trends” series will run on Friday, Oct. 9. While some expected tiny houses to be just a passing fad, they have proven themselves to be a popular alternative to the rising prices of megahouses. With so much demand and so few big builders jumping into the market, smaller craft builders have been able to create lucrative tiny house businesses.

So far, we talked with a 20-year veteran of the industry who is considering leaving his traditional homebuilding business behind and focusing entirely on building tiny houses, and we heard from a Vancouver-based builder who found untapped demand in the tiny home market.

This week, we visited a tiny house in person in Washington, DC. The designer, Jay Austin, offered us a tour of his 140-square-foot Matchbox house. His structure is part of Boneyard Studios, a showcase of tiny houses with the goal of promoting the small living trend and supporting other tiny house builders.