HOME OWNERSHIP and RESIDENTIAL VACANCIES IN THE FOURTH QUARTER 2011

National vacancy rates in the fourth quarter 2011 were 9.4 percent for rental housing and 2.3 percent for homeowner housing, the Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau announced today.

The rental vacancy rate  of 9.4 percent was approximately the same as the fourth quarter 2010 rate (+/-0.5 percentage points)* and 0.4 percentage points lower than last quarter (+/-0.4).

The homeowner vacancy rate of 2.3 percent was 0.4 percentage points lower than the fourth quarter 2010 rate (+/-0.2) and 0.1 percentage point lower (+/-0.1)* than the rate last quarter (2.4 percent).

The home ownership rate  of 66.0 percent was 0.5 percentage points (+/-0.4) lower than the fourth quarter 2010 rate (66.5 percent) and 0.3 percentage points (+/-0.4)* lower than the rate last quarter (66.3 percent).

All American Investor

Housing Starts: New Privately Owned Housing Units Started (Chart, 8-19)

Privately owned housing starts in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 604,000.

By Bob DeMarco
All American Investor

This is 1.5 percent (±10.7%) below the revised June estimate of 613,000, but is 9.8 percent (±10.8%)* above the July 2010 rate of 550,000.

Single-family housing starts in July were at a rate of 425,000; this is 4.9 percent (±8.9%)* below the revised June figure of 447,000.

The July rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 170,000