(MOBILE, Ala.) - A report released by the federal government Tuesday shows an increase in the rate of new homes being constructed across the nation.
According to the U.S. Commerce Department, U.S. Home builders started construction last month on the most single-family homes and apartments since July 2008.
South Alabama Home Builders are seeing growth as well. Adams Homes of Mobile General Manager Michael Ginn said 190 families moved into new houses across the region in the past four years.
"As a company, we had our best month in sales over the last four years," said Ginn.
Mitchell Homes is also showing gains in the housing market. Director of Sales and Marketing David Kahalley said the increase in new homes construction and sales is due to the low interest rates, and low prices of houses.
"It's been fantastic," Kahalley said. "We've had a lot of homes that we had in inventory get purchased. We're doing quite a bit more now than we have done over the past couple of years."
While new homes continue to sprout up in our area, companies are already preparing for an even brighter future. With plans to begin construction on the Airbus assembly plant next year at Brookley Aeroplex, home builders said it is the assembly line workers that will put painting and brick laying into overdrive.
"You'll probably see some activity probably the later part of 2013," Ginn said, "but, you know, obviously this is a long-term investment. We'll probably see the increase in numbers in 2014 and 2015."
David Kahalley said it will take at least a couple of years to get planning and permits squared-away.
"We have to always consider people like Austal and people like Airbus, and some of these larger companies that are coming into town," Kahalley said. "It takes a while for us to take a raw piece of land, and put streets in and street lights and do all the development, get it approved. That takes a couple of years. So that's what we're looking for today, is where the next new neighborhoods are going to be built."
