North Texas home starts boom as builders struggle to meet buyer demand
North Texas builders scrambling to meet a flood of buyers have boosted home starts to the highest level in more than a decade.
Dallas-Fort Worth single-family home starts soared by more than 34% in the third quarter from a year earlier, rising in the face of the pandemic and recession. Builders started almost 13,000 local houses during the just-completed quarter, according to just-released data from Residential Strategies Inc.
“Back when the pandemic hit, we were bracing for a pretty tough summer with all the job loss,” said Ted Wilson, principal for the Dallas-based housing consultant. “But everything opened up in May with strong sales and it has continued onward.
“It’s pretty amazing considering the backdrop of COVID.”
Wilson said the third-quarter D-FW home starts were the strongest since mid-2006, before the Great Recession hit the housing markets.
Builders have started 43,246 North Texas homes in the year ending September —