While many Tampa Bay area home builders have put down their hammers, some continue to start construction on new homes – just not very many of them. Area builders started construction on 932 single-family homes in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to Houston-based Metrostudy, which tracks new home construction, That's a 32.9 percent decrease from last year and the first time in at least 23 years that housing starts fell below 1,000 in a quarter. Why are builders building any homes in this economy? If they want to stay in business, they say they have to keep building at least some homes. ...more

February 4, 2009

Home sales in the Bay area rose more in December than any month since the downturn began. ...more

January 27, 2009

Home sales in the Bay area rose more in December than any month since the downturn began. It's a sign that sales prices, which continue to plummet, are enticing buyers. ...more

January 26, 2009

The weakening economy hit area builders extra hard at the end of 2008, when new home starts hit a record low. ...more

January 23, 2009

Friday was not the start of the holiday shopping season. ...more

November 29, 2008

Homebuilders are a little more optimistic about the prospects for home sales in the next six months, but an index reflecting the sector's confidence overall remained at an all-time low, an industry trade association said Monday. ...more

August 19, 2008

The battered home-building industry got another dose of bad news Friday as a key bellwether of the sector's health showed new home sales and prices dipped in June, dashing hopes for a summertime housing turnaround. ...more

July 26, 2008

"Hellloo," singsongs the woman answering the phone Friday at Ventana condominiums. ...more

June 21, 2008

Existing home sales fell for the eighth time in the past nine months, a string of weakness expected to continue as the housing industry, mired in its worst slump in decades, battles falling home prices, tight lending conditions and a weak economy. ...more

May 23, 2008

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders rose for a second straight month, the first back-to-back increase in almost a year, as signs emerged that lower house prices attracted more buyers. ...more

February 20, 2008