The city of Charlotte, which had been working on a set of design standards for homebuilders, put those plans on the backburner while waiting to see what would happen with SB 731. With the bill going nowhere in the recently ended session, city officials aren’t wasting any time.
Home construction is making a long-awaited recovery that could help energize the U.S. economy. Builders are responding to interest from buyers attracted by cut-rate prices, record-low mortgage rates and rising rents, which have made a home purchase comparatively appealing.
Americans are finally gaining confidence in the housing market five years after it collapsed. Sales of new and previously occupied homes are up from the same time last year. Home prices are rising in most markets. And homebuilders are starting more projects.