HomeBuilding

U.S. homebuilders are growing less pessimistic about the housing market, despite tighter lending standards that have slowed home sales. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index rose four points to 25 in January. That's the highest level since June 2007. It's just the third time the index has been at 20 or above in two years.

The measure was boosted by the second straight monthly rise in private construction spending. Single-family homes posted their biggest gain in six months Still, it's way too soon to declare an end to the private building slump.

The unexpected increase of 0.3% to a 610,000 annual rate provides additional evidence that homebuilding may be bottoming. However, economists caution that it's still too early to declare any kind of solid turnaround.

Housing is one cold spot in the economy. Lennar, however, is among the few homebuilders that some big investors are moving back into. Its diversification and appeal to first-time buyers are some of its strengths.

The U.S. housing sector's road to recovery is getting rougher: Housing starts fell a worse-than-expected 5% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 549,000. Is it time for another home buyer's tax credit?

This Sunday on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, 2008 American Idol winner and multi-platinum seller David Cook pitches in to help a family build a new house for their sick daughter. Cook uses Skype to call in to WalletPop's Jason Cochran and give the behind-the-scenes story of his stint as a...

This morning Bloomberg.com released a report regarding the state of the construction industry. That report provides a fairly gray view of the state of our nation's home builders. Home construction is in the process of posting a third straight year of declines and has surpassed even the direst of...