The US housing market has gone from disaster to doldrums. Although some areas have bounced back quickly (New York and San Francisco most notably), the overall market appears to be stagnant. But is it? To know the real story, take a look at the industry that supplies the hungry US market.
Major Canadian softwood manufacturers, whose precarious profitability
depends upon accurate forecasting, are predicting US housing starts of 835-900,000 in 2013, up from an estimated 746,000 in 2012.
By comparison, housing starts hit a low of 558,000 in 2008.
Already, the composite price of Random Lengths framing lumber (the most common
wood used in homebuilding) has risen 27% in 2012, both from increased demand and the expectation of more.
The US housing recession is not over. Yet, with immigration and family development continuing faster than
housing starts, a full recovery is only a matter of time.
Doubting the US housing recovery is a popular pastime at present - but it is not wise to bet against such obvious statistics.
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"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
Abraham Lincoln
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