Some welcome news for construction companies around the country came last month as new home construction was at it's highest rate in more than four years.
Nationwide, builders began work on 872,000 homes, a 15-percent increase from August. Applications for building permits, a sign of future construction, jumped nearly 12-percent, the highest since July of 2008.
Here in Spokane County, Condron Homes is busy working on ten different construction projects, the biggest spike in development they've seen in a half dozen years.
"It's a huge sigh of relief; we are excited," Corey Condron with Condron Homes said.
"My company went from 23 employees to four," Condron said.
Today, however, Condron Homes a lot of work for the handful of people left in the company. They've seen the biggest spike in home sales over the last two months in six years.
"The depressed housing market has lasted for so long I think people are getting tired of waiting, getting off the fence. Consumer confidence is what I think is driving this market right now," Condron said.
What's happening with Condron Homes is happening with other construction companies in Spokane County.
"It's an encouraging sign that things are turning around," Joel White with the Spokane Home Builders Association said. "Not only are building permits up, there's a 31-percent increase in how much these permits are worth. That means more expensive houses are selling."
The number of houses going up across the county also means more construction jobs.
"For every home built creates an average of three and a half jobs. If you have one 100 built that's 350 jobs," White said.
Also buyers are realizing that while house prices are going up, they are still cheaper so it's time to grab a good opportunity.
"We are really happy this is starting. We've been in a deep downturn. Now there is a glimmer of hope," White said.
The only downside here is that since the downturn in home construction there's a lack of skilled workers in the area since they've all moved on to the oil fields of North Dakota or Seattle.
Now that construction companies are busy again, finding the right people to keep up with the demand is becoming a challenge.
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