THE NAIL
The official magazine of Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee
President Kelly Beasley
Vice President Eli Routh
Secretary/Treasurer Danny Clawson
Executive Vice President John Sheley
Editor and Designer Jim Argo
Staff
Connie Nicley Kim Grayson
THE NAIL is published monthly by the Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee, a non-profit trade association dedicated to promoting the American dream of homeownership to all residents of Middle Tennessee.
SUBMISSIONS: THE NAIL welcomes manuscripts and photos related to the Middle Tennessee housing industry for publication. Editor reserves the right to edit due to content and space limitations.
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: HBAMT, 9007 Overlook Boulevard, Brentwood, TN 37027. Phone: (615) 377-1055.
New home sales hold steady at a relatively tepid rate
Challenging affordability conditions, elevated interest rates and economic uncertainty continue to act as headwinds on the housing sector as many potential buyers continue to stay on the sidelines.
Sales of newly built single-family homes edged 0.6% higher in June, rising to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 627,000, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. The past two months have been the slowest sales pace since October of last year, as mortgage rates averaged above 6.8% in June.
“New home sales remained flat last month, highlighting persistent weakness in the housing market despite seasonal expectations for growth,” said Buddy Hughes, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Lexington, N.C. “Elevated mortgage rates and sustained price levels continue to limit purchasing power, particularly among first-time and middle-income buyers.”
“Despite targeted incentives and pricing adjustments by builders, demand remains tepid, suggesting these measures have had limited impact on overall sales volume,” said Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington, NAHB’s assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis. And while inventory
conditions have stabilized, the flat performance signals continued buyer hesitation and a cautious outlook for the sector. Unless there is a material improvement in financing conditions or household income growth, a near-term acceleration in new home sales appears unlikely.”
A new home sale occurs when a sales contract is signed, or a deposit is accepted. The home can be in any stage of construction: not yet started, under construction or completed. In addition to adjusting for seasonal effects, the June reading of 627,000 units is the number of homes that would sell if this pace continued for the next 12 months.
New single-family home inventory continued to rise with 511,000 residences marketed for sale as of June. This is 1.2% higher than the previous month, and 8.5% higher than a year ago. At the current sales pace, the months’ supply for new homes remained elevated at 9.8 compared to 8.4 a year ago. Completed, ready-to-occupy inventory stood at 114,000 homes in June, up 21.3% from a year ago.
The median new home sale price edged down 4.9% in June to $401,800. This is down 2.9% compared to a year ago.
Regionally, on a year-to-date basis, new home sales are down in all four regions, falling 25.6% in the Northeast, 8.5% in the Midwest, 1.6% in the South and 4% in the West. n
Single-family starts weaken in June on affordability challenges
Single-family housing starts declined in June to the lowest rate since July 2024 as elevated interest rates, rising inventories and ongoing supply-side issues continue to act as headwinds for the housing sector.
Due to a solid increase in multifamily production, overall housing starts increased 4.6% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.32 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.
The June reading of 1.32 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts decreased 4.6% to an 883,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate and are down 10% compared to June 2024. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, increased 30% to an annualized 438,000 pace.
“Single-family building conditions continued to weaken in June as housing affordability challenges caused builder traffic to move low-
er as buyers moved to the sidelines,” said Buddy Hughes, NAHB chairman. “Policymakers need to focus on easing high housing costs by eliminating burdensome regulations, promoting careers in the skilled trades, alleviating permitting roadblocks and overturning inefficient zoning rules.”
“Single-family conditions are measurably weakening as resale inventories levels rise, particularly in previously fast-growing areas such as the U.S. south,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “Single-family home building in the South is down 12.4% on a year-to-date basis, far outpacing declines
Builder confidence edges up in July
Builder confidence for future sales expectations received a slight boost in July with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act but elevated interest rates and economic and policy uncertainty continue to act as headwinds for the housing sector.
Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was 33 in July, up one point from June, according to the NAHB)Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released recently. Builder sentiment has now been in negative territory for 15 consecutive months.
“The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act provided a number of important wins for households, home builders and small businesses,” said NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes. “While this new law should provide economic momentum after a disappointing spring, the housing sector has weakened in 2025 due to poor affordability
conditions, particularly from elevated interest rates.”
Indeed, the latest HMI survey also revealed that 38% of builders reported cutting prices in July, the highest percentage since NAHB began tracking this figure on a monthly basis in 2022. This compares with 37% of builders who reported cutting prices in June, 34% in May and 29% in April. Meanwhile, the average price reduction was 5% in July, the same as it’s been every month since last November. The use of sales incentives was 62% in July, unchanged from June.
“Single-family housing starts will post a decline in 2025 due to ongoing housing affordability challenges,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “Single-family permits are down 6% on a year-to-date basis and builder traffic in the HMI is at a more than two-year low.”
Derived from a monthly survey that
in the Northeast and the West. However, single-family home building is up 10% on a yearto-date basis in the Midwest, where housing affordability conditions are generally better than much of the nation.”
On a regional and year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts were 28.8% higher in the Northeast, 13.1% higher in the Midwest, 8.1% lower in the South and 0.6% lower in the West.
Overall permits increased 0.2% to a 1.40-million-unit annualized rate in June. Single-family permits decreased 3.7% to an 866,000-unit rate and are down 8.4% compared to June 2024. Multifamily permits increased 7.3% to a 531,000 pace.
Looking at regional permit data on a yearto-date basis, permits were 16.9% lower in the Northeast, 8.2% higher in the Midwest, 3.3% lower in the South and 3.7% lower in the West.
The declines for single-family home building have caused the number of single-family homes under construction to level off. There are currently 622,000 single-family homes under construction, which is 6% lower than a year ago. The number of apartments under construction in June, 739,000, is 18.8% lower than a year ago. n
NAHB has been conducting for more than 40 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair” or “poor.” The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers as “high to very high,” “average” or “low to very low.” Scores for each component are then used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index where any number over 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good than poor.
The HMI index gauging current sales conditions rose one point in July to a level of 36 while the component measuring sales expectations in the next six months increased three points to 43. The gauge charting traffic of prospective buyers posted a one-point decline to 20, the lowest reading since end of 2022.
Looking at the three-month moving averages for regional HMI scores, the Northeast increased two points to 45, the Midwest held steady at 41, the South dropped three points to 30 and the West declined three points to 25. n
Please return your completed registration form (provided below) to the HBAMT to enter. ALL COMPANY TEAMS MUST BE A MEMBER OF THE HBAMT (all teams must have at least one HBAMT member playing)
Select one, print player(s) name(s) below: r FOURSOME: Print names of players. Four (4) players per team ($900 per team). **Team not guaranteed for shoot until payment received** r SINGLE SHOOTER: Print name of player. $250 per shooter. **Shooter not guaranteed for shoot until payment received**
SPONSORSHIPS
TITLE SPONSOR $5,000 1 available
Breakfast Sponsor $1,500 2 available
Lunch Sponsor $3,000 2 available
l Company name featured as Tournament Sponsor on all material
l Signage at tournament provided
l Booth at check-in and tournament station
l Your booth will be ticket pick up point for all shooters
l Opportunity to hand out promotional materials
l Two (2) tickets to Breakfast; two to Lunch
l Booth at Breakfast, recognized as Sponsor during Breakfast
l Signage at tournament provided
l Station sponsor for the duration of the tournament
l Opportunity to hand out information & goodies
l Two (2) tickets to Breakfast; two to Lunch
l Booth at Lunch, recognized as Sponsor during Lunch
l Signage at tournament provided
l Station sponsor for the duration of the tournament
l Opportunity to hand out information & goodies
l Two (2) tickets to Breakfast; two to Lunch
Station Sponsor $500 l Station sponsor for the duration of the tournament
l Opportunity to hand out promotional materials at station
Top architectural trends of 2025
Each month, the NAHB Design Bites series presents on a new trend. The June installment was all about The Top 10 Architectural Movements to Watch in 2025. Hosted by Erin Hurley, Business Development Director at KGA Studio Architects, the episode explored the year’s home design trends, including right-sizing, resilience and wellness.
Here are the top architectural design trends this year:
Timeless and Traditional: Home buyers are looking to the past for timeless design inspiration but with a refreshed way of doing so, balancing traditional form with modern elements. Examples include arched doorways, windows and builtins, and vernacular design integration to create localized distinction, such as: Shutters in coastal communities, Adobe-style exteriors in the Southwest, Acadian-style homes in Texas and the Southeast, and Dutch Colonial homes in the Northeast.
Right-sizing and Personalizing: For first-time home buyers, attainable homes are getting smaller because of market conditions, so designers can offer personalized options. The tighter spaces demand efficient design decisions and thoughtful floorplans, but allow for memorable details and features that stand out, such as bold wall colors and unique fixtures.
Resilient Design: With climate-related disasters occurring more frequently, home buyers want to make sure their homes can withstand natural forces such as wind, fire and storms, so building with resiliency in mind is important in most regions. Hip roofs tend to be the most wind resistant, and non-combustible siding can protect against wildfires.
Expanding Kitchen Function: The kitchen is often considered the heart of the home, and although houses are getting smaller, kitchen space is still critical because its purpose extends beyond cooking and eating. Optimizing storage needs with pantries or prep kitchens (depending on square-footage) and including an additional destination like wine storage or a coffee station are ways to make the kitchen more functional.
Natural Connections: Biophilic design — designing with the goal of increasing occupant connectivity to the natural environment — remains popular amongst home buyers. Maximizing natural light and including greenery and organic materials are ways of giving home owners the indoor/outdoor connection they crave.
Emotional Connections: Colors, shapes and textures can evoke emotion in a living space. Details such as a reading nook or large windows can help buyers feel more connected to the home.
Housing Diversity: Thinking beyond single-family housing will appeal to a wider range of potential buyers. Town homes, paired homes, duplexes, triplexes and patio homes are examples of how builders might accommodate current housing needs and budget constraints.
Universal Design: Some families care for both small children and aging relatives, so proactively designing living spaces to be inclusive and accessible is important. Design elements that anticipate diverse needs include zero-step entries, wide doorways, lever handles and walk-in showers.
Health and Wellness: A home is meant to be a place one can go to rest and recharge, so there is a big connection between mental health and housing design. Home gyms, meditation spaces and tranquil bathrooms are examples of designing with health and wellness in mind.
Building Connections: In addition to a home of their own, buyers want community. They want to know their neighbors and connect with those nearby. Shared spaces such as courtyards and common rooms can serve as communal places in which people can engage with one another n
Parade of Homes
The 2025 Parade of Homes at Rosebrooke
ADVERTISE & EXHIBIT
THE PARADE PLAN BOOK
At every Parade event each attendee is handed a magazine as they walk through the front gate - the Parade Plan Book
The Plan Book is a tremendous opportunity to put your message into the hands of pre-qualified customers who refer to the book several months after the Parade of Homes is over!
Plan Book Advertising Rates
Half Page 7.5” x4.75” (Horizontal) $960
Full Page 7.5”x10” 8.75”x 11.25” (B1eed) $1,440
Email jargo@hbamt.org for ad specs and availability.
If your company depends on new homes or related products, furnishings or services, here’s one opportunity you can’t pass up -- the 2025 Parade of Homes at Rosebrooke! Secure your space in the Plan Book or reserve an Exhibit Booth today.
THE PARADE EXHIBIT BOOTH
Here’s your chance to demonstrate your product or service to the thousands of qualified prospects who pass through the Parade of Homes exhibit center when they enter and leave the show. As with Plan Book advertising, the exhibit center produces virtually all pre-qualified customers!
It’s like opening up shop and having thousands of prospects visit your show room the first two weeks you’re in business. What other medium could come close to producing those kinds of results? The Parade ranks first of all home shows in the nation and you can take advantage of the prestige this show enjoys.
Exhibit Booth Price? $750
Each booth in the Parade of Homes exhibit center measures 10’ x 6’ at the front entrance where patrons must enter and exit -- perfect for eye-popping kiosks and marketing publications!
2025 PARADE OF HOMES - PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITMENT FORM
Return completed form to: HBAMT, 9007 Overlook Blvd., Brentwood, TN 37027 | Email: jargo@hbamt org
PLAN BOOK AD - please check the size of ad you would like to secure in the 2025 Plan Book: r Half Page r Full Page r Page One r Inside Front r Inside Back r Back Cover
EXHIBIT BOOTH SPACE - please check here to secure your 2025 Exhibit Booth Space: r Your name: ____________________________________
SPIKE REPORT
Twenty-three SPIKES (in bold) increased their recruitment numbers last month. What is a SPIKE? SPIKES recruit new members and help the association retain members. Here is the latest SPIKE report as of June 30th, 2025.
Mitzi
CHAPTERS & COUNCILS
CHAPTERS
CHEATHAM COUNTY CHAPTER
Chapter President - Roy Miles
Cheatham County Chapter details are being planned. Next meeting: to be announced.
RSVP to: cnicley@hbamt.org
DICKSON COUNTY CHAPTER
Chapter President - Mark Denney
Dickson County Chapter meetings are typically held on the third Thursday of the month. Next meeting: to be announced. Topic: to be announced.
Free w/RSVP, Lunch = Dutch Treat (lunch free w/RSVP pending sponsorship)
RSVP to: cnicley@hbamt.org
MAURY COUNTY CHAPTER
Chapter President - Sam Gray
Maury County Chapter meetings are typically held on the first Tuesday of the month.
Next meeting: to be announced. Meetings held at the Graymere County Club - 2100 Country Club Ln, Columbia, 38401
Topic: to be announced.
FREE w/RSVP pending sponsorship
$20 w/o RSVP
PLEASE RSVP to cnicley@hbamt.org
METRO/NASHVILLE CHAPTER
Chapter President - Lisa Underwood Metro/Nashville Chapter details are typically held on the fourth Thursday of the month. Next meeting: to be announced.
RSVP to: cnicley@hbamt.org
ROBERTSON COUNTY CHAPTER
Robertson County Chapter details are currently being planned.
Next meeting: to be announced.
RSVP to: cnicley@hbamt.org
SUMNER COUNTY CHAPTER
Chapter President - Joe Dalton
The Sumner County Chapter typically meets on the third Tuesday of the month. Next meeting: to be announced.
RSVP to: cnicley@hbamt.org
WILLIAMSON COUNTY CHAPTER
Chapter President - Rachel Holloway
Williamson County Chapter meetings are typically held on the third Tuesday of the month. Next meeting: to be announced.
FREE w/RSVP pending sponsorship. RSVP to: cnicley@hbamt.org
WILSON COUNTY CHAPTER
Chapter President - Margaret Tolbert
Wilson County Chapter meetings are typically held on the second Thursday of the month.
Next meeting: Thursday, August 21th, 8:30 a.m. at Walk your Plans Nashville. 2937 Elm Hill Pike, Nashville, 37214
Topic: Using Technology in New Home Construction. Learn about the latest tools and trends changing the way homes are built. This is a great opportunity to see firsthand what WYP is all about and explore how technology is shaping the future of home building.
FREE with RSVP thanks to Walk Your Plans Nashville.
RSVP to: cnicley@hbamt.org
COUNCILS
HBAMT REMODELERS COUNCIL
The HBAMT Remodelers Council meets at varying locations throughout the year.
Next meeting: to be announced.
RSVP to RMC meetings and events to: cnicley@hbamt.org
INFILL BUILDERS COUNCIL
Infill Builders Council meetings are typically held on the last Wednesday of the month.
Next meeting: to be announced.
FREE w/RSVP pending sponsorship.
RSVP to: cnicley@hbamt.org
MIDDLE TENN SALES & MARKETING COUNCIL Council President - Chuck Payne
The SMC typically meets on the first Thursday of the month. Next meeting: Thursday, August 7th, 9:00 a.m. at Culamar Restaurant and Rooftop Bar in Franklin. 99 E Main St. Ste 190, Franklin, 37064.
Topic: Summer Membership Mixer! Drinks and Hors d'oeuvres served, RSVP today!
SMC Members Free w/RSVP thanks to DREES HOMES, Austermiller, Inc., CMG Home Loans, Carpet Den, Henley Supply, Huskey Building Supply, Onward Real Estate, PulteGroup, and RW Supply & Design.
NON-SMC MEMBERS MUST RSVP and PAY: $15 with RSVP; $20 w/o RSVP
**HBAMT members must be a paid member of the Sales & Marketing Council in order to receive council rates** RSVP to: cnicley@hbamt.org
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