2021 Recap & What To Expect in 2022

Happy New Year! I hope this finds you and your family well and enjoying 2022 so far! Where in the world did January go?

I get asked all the time, “how are things in the building industry”? The irony of it all almost makes me chuckle, because even though the building business is booming, builders are experiencing unprecedented challenges. In October of last year, I celebrated 20 years with NDI. And in that 20 years, I’ve seen a lot – the impact of 9/11, the housing boom of the mid-2000’s, the market crash of 2008 and then the recession that followed (and never seemed like it was going to end). Then 2020 brought COVID to our lives, which seemed to change everything. Our industry was no exception. We have had to change the way we do almost everything when it comes to building our homes.

Lumber pricing and material/labor shortages continue to challenge builders across the country. We thought lumber pricing had started to level out at the end of the summer months, but then they began to rise again in the fall and since the start of 2022, they’ve gone up another 12%. Material shortages and extended lead times have improved somewhat, mainly because we are ordering everything as soon as we can. I never thought we would be ordering cabinets & appliances at the start of the project, but here we are.

So what’s in store for 2022? Demand for housing will continue, especially in northern Virginia where the inventory remains very low. Buyers who weren’t planning to build or move from their existing home are thinking otherwise. If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s the value of space in our homes. More people are working from home then ever before. Home offices and flexible spaces are critical! In spite of the material and labor challenges, buyers want (need) their space and coupled with the fact that interest rates remain at historically low levels, it is still a great time to build.

Are you looking to build a new home in 2022? Stay tuned for a new home design we’re about to release, and for a new modern style home series!

I’m excited for this year. I think 2021 prepared us to handle anything 2022 might throw at us.

I say bring it…

Dream. Build. Live.