Residential Building Contractors
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 200,000 residential building contractors in the US build single and multi-family homes (condos and townhouses) and provide remodeling services. The majority of new single-family homes are speculative homes, in which the contractor owns the land and begins construction without a sales contract. Contractors that build speculative homes are known as operative builders. About 78% of residential building contractors are solo operators.
Reliance On Credit Markets
The availability of credit affects potential buyers’ ability to secure a mortgage and contractors’ access to capital.
Reliance On Subcontractors
Residential building contractors rely on subcontractors for a high percentage of work.
Industry size & Structure
The average residential building contractor employs 4-5 workers and generates about $2 million in annual revenue.
- The residential building contractor industry consists of about 200,000 companies that employ about 927,000 workers and generate $342 billion annually.
- An additional 795,000 solo-practitioners generate $61 billion annually.
- Remodelers account for 63% of establishments; single-family general contractors are 29%; operative builders are 6%; and multi-family contractors are 2%.
- While residential construction includes private and public projects, the vast majority of work is in the private sector.
- About 80% of residential building contractors employ fewer than 5 workers and together cover 22% of the industry's payroll. About 20 establishments are very large, employing over 500 workers each and together covering 3% of industry payroll.
- Large companies include D.R. Horton, Pulte Homes, Lennar Corporation, NVR, and KB Home.
Industry Forecast
Residential Building Contractors Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Oct 17, 2024 - Builder Confidence Improves
- Home builder confidence in the single-family market rose in October amid moderating inflation and an expectation of easing mortgage rates in the coming months, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Home builder sentiment, as measured by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), rose two points to 43 in October 2024. Any HMI reading over 50 indicates that more builders see conditions as good than poor. The HMI survey also showed that 32% of builders have reduced home prices to lure potential buyers off the sideline. The average price reduction in October was 6%, up from 5% the previous month. In October, 62% of builders used sales incentives to entice buyers, up from 61% in September.
- Amid high interest rates, home builders have lured buyers with mortgage rate buydowns, but as interest rates begin to move lower, buydown strategies could stop penciling out, and builders may have to shift strategies, according to The Wall Street Journal. In mortgage rate buydowns, builders take on a portion of the interest rate costs – for all or a portion of the mortgage’s term – which gives the homebuyer a lower rate. However, buydowns have begun to eat into builders’ profits. The buydown strategy worked for builders as existing homeowners who felt locked in by their low mortgage rates kept their homes off the market, thereby reducing competition. However, as interest rates begin to move lower, more homeowners will decide to sell, introducing more price competition to the market. Industry observers suggest that builders may need to table their buydowns and pivot to other strategies to compete with existing homes, such as reducing home prices.
- Home remodeling spending is expected to resume stronger growth by the middle of 2025, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) report released in October by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard. Homeowner improvements and repairs are expected to decrease 2.1% to $469 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to Q4 2023. In the first quarter of 2025, remodeling spending will drop 2.1% from Q1 2024 to $454 billion. Spending will then rise to $473 billion in Q2 2025, up 0.6% from Q2 2024. In the third quarter of 2025, year-over-year spending is forecast to increase by 1.2% to $477 billion. The Joint Center expects improvements to be supported by improving existing home sales and higher home values, which will boost spending for necessary replacement and discretionary remodeling projects.
- Mortgage applications for new home purchases fell 6% in September from August but were up 10.8% year-over-year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist Joel Kan said, "Applications for new home purchases declined in September, consistent with seasonal patterns, and continued to run ahead of last year's pace. New home sales continue to be an appealing option for prospective homebuyers as mortgage rates were lower during the month and more newly built options have been coming onto the market. The FHA share of applications was elevated to almost 29 percent, a sign that first-time buyers are active.”
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