The U.S. Government is reporting that privately owned housing starts in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,326,000. This is 9.7% above December’s revised number and is 7.3% above January 2017. Single-family housing starts in January were at a rate of 877k, which is 3.7% higher than December. The January rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 431k. Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,396,000. This is 7.4% above December’s revised rate and is 7.4% higher than January, 2017. Single-family authorizations in January were at a rate of 866k, which is 1.7% lower than December. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 479k in January.
