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A roof frame stands atop this new building.The summer heat is warming up the Scenic City’s housing market.
Home starts are up 13 percent in Chattanooga from the prior year, on pace to exceed the number of new homes started in 2012 as the summer buying season kicks in.
Led by big gains in Bradley and Catoosa counties, the Chattanooga area chalked up 798 new building permits year-to-date, up from 701 at the same point in 2012, according to research firm The Market Edge.
“The economy, which generates the jobs that fuel housing demand, continued to improve at a moderate pace during the second quarter of 2013,” said Mark Blazek, president of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors. “Budget sequesters and sluggish export growth have taken a back seat to housing recovery and stronger consumer spending.”
Home starts in fast-growing Bradley County jumped to 152, up from 119 through the second quarter of 2012.