by Building permits were up year over year, but housing starts and completions were down by double digits over the same period
WASHINGTON — Building permit activity rose from July 2025 while housing starts and housing completions fell dramatically below the same period, placing some uncertainty on how soon new housing construction will begin to fuel furniture sales.
Building permits for the month totaled 1,443,000, which is 3.1% above 1,400,000 in July 2025 and 5% above a revised rate of 1,374,000 in June. Of these, single-family permits totaled 894,000, or 62% of the total, up 2.5% above the revised June total of 872,000.
By comparison, housing starts totaled 1,239,000, 13.5% below 1,432,000 in July 2025 and 12.4% below a revised June rate of 1,415,000. Of these, single family housing starts totaled 808,000, or 65.2% of the total, which was 9.9% below the revised June rate of 897,000.
Housing completions, which likely have the biggest impact on near-term furniture sales, totaled 1,212,000, 16.8% below 1,456,000 in July 2025 and 9.1% below the revised June estimate of 1,333,000. Of these, single-family home completions totaled 878,000, or 72.4% of the total, which also was 5.8% below the revised June rate of 932,000.
While housing starts and building permit activity will take a while to turn into completed homes, they are positive for the industry from the standpoint that they actually get people thinking about buying new furniture. Still, a final purchase likely won’t happen for another several months from the time ground is broken.
By region, the activity was as follows:
+ In the Northeast, building permits were up 16.2% from July 2025 and were down 2.6% from June; in the Midwest, they were up 2.7% from July 2025 and were up 12.3% from June; in the South, they were down .9% from July 2025 and were up 6.6% from June; and in the West, they were up 8% from July 2025 and up .3% from June.
+ In the Northeast, housing starts were up 62.4% from July 2025 and were up 17.1% from June; in the Midwest, they were down 27% from July 2025 and were down 27.6% from June; in the South, they were down 24.1% from July 2025 and were down 12.6% from June; and in the West, they were up 5.3% from July 2025 and down 13.8% from June.
+ In the Northeast, housing completions were down 45.1% from July 2025 and were down 57.6% from June; in the Midwest, they were down 17.4% from July 2025 and down 3.3% from June; in the South, they were down 15.2% from July 2025 and were down 8.9% from June; and in the West, they were down 10% from July 2025 and up 14.6% from June.
Despite the lower numbers, it’s still a good idea for retailers to market their offerings and the values they represent for consumers. Even if fewer people are moving into new homes in the months ahead, they still may want to replace an old sofa, dining set or even bedroom. That customer will always help fuel sales, even in down housing markets.
