In September, housing starts rose at their fastest pace in 17 months, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Privately-owned housing starts were 15.0 percent above August’s estimate and 10.2 percent above September 2010. Single-family housing construction was at an annual rate of 425,000 units, 1.7 percent above August. Despite surging housing starts, building permits fell in September, dropping 5.0 percent from the previous month. Permits to build single-family homes were down just 0.2 percent from the revised August figure. More here.
