A Brief Economic Overview of the Housing Industry
The housing industry has definitely been on the downswing since the summer of 2006. Home sales as well as house prices are down. Inventories of unoccupied homes have increased and there has been a recent decline in the employment levels of the housing industry. Many economists are of the opinion that we have not seen the bottom of the decline in the Housing Market', which is one of the most important factors of the American economy. Recent statistics indicate that there is an increase in mortgage applications; however, at the same time there is a decrease in permits and new-home startups that could affect the economy for several years to come. In addition, another disturbing trend is the increase in home building cancellations during the last 3 4 months.
Elasticity of Supply and Demand
Most Americans consider housing a necessity. "Necessities tend to have inelastic demands, whereas luxuries have elastic demands" (Mankiw,......
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