Positive housing trend in NE Wisconsin
By: Terry Kovarik
Updated: July 19, 2012
Green Bay, Wis. (WFRV) -- Recent winds and rains may have taken the steam out of record high temperatures. But new home construction in Northeast Wisconsin is on the rise.
Builders credit consumer confidence in the economy and lower prices for building materials and land.
"The first quarter building permits in Brown County were up 70-percent. Second quarter, up 50-percent," said Steve Atkins of Atkins Family Builders.
Record low interest rates are also helping fuel home building. Builders say shoppers need to be aware of increased demand for building supplies and services.
"But there's not as many builders as there once were," Atkins says. "Not everyone survived the downturn."
Builders say today's shoppers have more realistic home building goals.
It's certainly taken some time for new home construction to pick up. But right now, home builders are confident that trend will be continuing for the near future.
