CAMBRIDGE, MA -- A recovery in home improvement spending will soon be underway according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released July 15 by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.
Remodeling spending is expected to increase on an annual basis by the end of the year, and the LIRA points to growth accelerating to the double-digit range in the first quarter of 2011.
âAbsent a reversal of recent economic progress, there should be a healthy upturn in home improvement activity by year-end and into next year,â said Eric Belsky, managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Homeowner optimism is bolstering a trend toward investing in the home again. âThe recovery in home improvement activity appears to be moving beyond simple replacement projects and energy retrofits to broader remodels and upgrades,â said Kermit Baker, director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies. âA wider activity base would help generate the expected growth in the quarters ahead.â
Read the Joint Center for Housing Studies' press release.
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