What the Homebuilders Said to Close Out 2013: All Eyes On the 2014 Spring Selling Season

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 6, 2014. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} The above quote pretty much sums up the attitude of homebuilders (ITB) going into 2014. It sounds like a classic sales pitch from a real estate agent, but the evidence … Read more

Prepared to Buy Homebuilders Even As Housing Pause Reawakens Some Short Interest

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 29, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} Source: St. Louis Federal Reserve Homebuilder stocks joined most rate-sensitive plays by falling sharply from their lofty levels once the direction and momentum of rates became clear. {snip} I consider … Read more

Homebuilder Price Performance Diverges in 2013 As Shorts Continue An Uneven Retreat

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 5, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) In late November, 2012, I made a list of my homebuilder picks for 2013. I combined valuation, price changes, and short interest to build the list. Almost 6 months later, it … Read more

Supply/Demand Imbalances Continue Building in the Housing Market

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 24, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) There were a lot of interesting nuggets in the January existing home sales report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The continuing decline in housing inventory has really caught my … Read more

Homebuilding At the Crossroads Of Changing Demographics

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 21, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) On January 17th, NPR’s All Things Considered ran a story called “Homebuilding Is Booming, But Skilled Workers Are Scarce.” It was yet another story adding to the evidence that the tightness … Read more

Homebuilder 2013 Pricing Outlook Remains Murky Even As The “McMansion” Lives On

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 31, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) On Friday, December 28, 2012, Nightly Business Report interviewed Martin Connor, the CFO of luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers (TOL). I am on the lookout for 2013 guidance from homebuilders, so this … Read more

Picking Homebuilder Stocks for 2013

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 26, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} It is hard to be bearish on the U.S. economy when housing is working. Homebuilders are also the ultimate play on the U.S. economy given the minimal (direct) linkage to … Read more

What To Do with Your Homebuilder Stocks Now

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 28, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Congratulations to those of you who were able to ignore the bears on housing and stick with housing stocks this year. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) has finally recovered all … Read more

Shortage of Labor in Some Housing Markets

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 7, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) In “Home Builders Don’t Have Enough Workers to Meet New Demand“, CNBC reports that housing markets with strong demand are reporting severe shortages of labor. These strong markets include the Western … Read more