NAHB analysis of the 2022 Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC) data shows that, nationwide, the share of non-conventional financing for new home sales accounted for 28.1% of the market, roughly the same as in 2021, at 28.8%. As in previous years, conventional financing dominated the market at 71.9% of sales. In 2020, the share of non-conventional financing was 34.4% of the market while conventional financing accounted for 65.6% of the market share.
Non-conventional forms of financing, as opposed to conventional mortgage loans, include loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), VA-backed loans, cash purchases and other types of financing such as the Rural Housing Service, Habitat for Humanity, loans from individuals, state or local government mortgage-backed bonds. The reliance on non-conventional forms of financing varied across the United States, with its share at 34.0% in West South Central but accounting for only 14.9% of new single-family home starts in the Middle Atlantic division.
Nationwide, cash purchases were the majority share of non-conventional financing of new home purchases, accounting for 13% of the market share up from 11% in 2021. FHA-backed loans accounted for 8% which is lower than in 2021, where it was 11% of the market share. The share of VA-backed loans was at 4% market share in 2021 while Other Financing was 3% of market share.
Cash financing dominated non-conventional forms of financing in East South Central, where 24.2% of all homes started were purchased with cash. Except for West South Central, cash purchases led non-conventional financing all other census regions. Cash purchases accounted for 23.3% in New England, 10.1% in Middle Atlantic, 17.6% in East North Central, 12.6% in West North Central, 12.1% in South Atlantic, 10.3% in Mountain, and 9.7% in Pacific.
FHA-backed loans accounted for the majority of all non-conventional financing in the West South Central division accounting for 12.9% of the homes started. New England division reported the lowest FHA-backed loans with none of the homes started in 2022 were purchased with FHA-backed loans.
VA-backed loans were most used in the Mountain division, which accounted for 6.7% of non-conventional forms of financing. In New England, VA-backed loans were only 0.3%, the lowest market share for this category.
Other financing such as the Rural Housing Service, Habitat for Humanity, loans from individuals, state or local government mortgage-backed bonds was highest in West South Central where it was 6.3% of market share, while Middle Atlantic division reported the lowest share at 0.6%.
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