May column for Builder & Developer magazine now online

My column for the May issue of Builder & Developer magazine is now posted online.

For this issue, entitled "The Housing Market Roars," I reviewed the strength of the housing market and if the rebound is sustainable.  An excerpt:

By almost any measure – and as noted regularly in BuilderBytes’ MetroIntelligence Economic Update -- the housing market is not only on the mend, but rebounding much faster than most economists and housing analysts predicted. Not only did the median price for existing homes rise by nearly 10 percent nationally over the past year, but they continued rising during the seasonally slow winter months, and already show signs of gaining altitude as the spring buying season continues. 

Meanwhile, a combination of reduced new home construction, fewer foreclosures, investors paying cash for homes to rent out and owners still sitting on underwater homes means inventory levels that have fallen to 12-year lows. So is the current scenario just an economic blip, or have we finally launched into a sustained rebound that will last? 

To read the entire column, click here.

To read the entire May 2013 issue in digital format, click here.