WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Homebuilder confidence has seen a modest deterioration in the month of June, according to a report released by the National Association of Home Builders on Monday.
The report said the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dipped to 35 in June after jumping to 37 in May. Economists had expected the index to edge down to 36.
The NAHB noted the index remained below 40 for the 14th straight month, a streak not seen since 2011-2012 during the foreclosure crisis.
'Costly and inefficient regulatory policy is clearly impeding the ability of builders to increase the housing supply,' said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. 'According to a new NAHB study, government regulation, taxes, fees and other costs add more than 26% to the price of an average single-family home.'
He added, 'Easing permitting bottlenecks, density limits and inefficient zoning rules would help reduce costs and support the housing growth the nation needs.'
The decrease by the headline index came as the index gauging current sales conditions fell to 38 in June from 40 in May.
Meanwhile, the index measuring future sales and the index charting traffic of prospective buyers were both unchanged at 45 and 25, respectively.
The NAHB said the latest HMI survey also revealed that 35 percent of builders cut prices in June, up from 32 percent in May. The average price reduction was 6 percent in June, unchanged from the previous month.
The use of sales incentives was 62 percent in June, up slightly from 61 percent in May and marking the 15th consecutive month this share has reached 60 percent or higher, the NAHB said.
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