Local housing starts

tick upward
By Scott Nicholson

With the national housing-construction market picking up, Watauga County is seeing an increase in residential building permits.

Planning director Joe Furman said activity “picked up beginning in March, not to levels of the past couple of years, but closer to what were normal levels two years ago.”

The majority of the 64 building permits in June were for alterations and remodeling, but the county did issue 11 permits for new single-family homes. There were 27 single-family homes permitted in June 2008.

The estimated value of construction permitted in June was $10.5 million, about $800,000 below June 2008’s value but the highest totals of the year, more than double the $4.5 million worth of construction permitted in May.

Housing construction began declining last summer, and despite a surge in September, have generally been lagging behind the levels of the past two years.

Despite the reduction of permits, estimated construction values have not fallen as far behind.

July has seen more activity than June, Furman said, though data is not yet available.

“We are receiving more calls and more visits so there are signs that things are picking up,” Furman said.

Last year, overall construction value in Watauga County was down about a third from 2007 levels and the average new-home price declined by $12,000.

Nationally, the new-housing market rose by 3.6 percent in June, the highest level in seven months. Building permits were up by 8.7 percent.