In his last monthly video update for the National Association of Homebuilders, executive director Chuck Fowke closed out the year with “good news.”

Acknowledging that 2021 has been a year of “ups and downs,” he pointed out that “homebuilding has remained a bright spot.” Fowke reminded viewers that November homebuilder confidence, as tracked by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), continued a three-month streak of “overwhelmingly positive sentiment,” with a reading month of 83.

Even with continued health and safety protocols, Fowke pointed out that the HMI shows that homebuilders are still positive about the industry, based on high consumer demand.

“Affordability has taken a hit this year, due to many factors, and still, an unprecedented number of buyers want to purchase new homes. This is great news for homebuilding and speaks to the resilience and necessity of our industry,” he said. In addressing the homebuilder members of NAHB, Fowke added that, “You’re the driving force behind our shared success.”

In wrapping up the monthly review, he also mentioned that in mid-November, NAHB filed a petition for review in the US court of appeals of the DC circuit, asking the Court to examine OSHA’s emergency temporary standard (ETS) that requires companies with more than 100 employees ensure that their staff is either vaccinated or receiving weekly COVID testing. NAHB argues that OSHA doesn’t have the authority to issue ETS on this matter.