The following is an excerpt from the August 20 issue of . Stan Longhofer, director of 麻豆传媒's Center for Real Estate, contributed to the article.
Wichita homebuilder Clint Miller has a problem: His new homes are in demand, but not as much as a year ago.
"It's really hit and miss," said Miller, president of Clint Miller Homes. "We're not expanding or anything. We're just trying to figure out how many homes to keep around and get through this slow time."
The area remains in a new-home building decline fueled by credit problems, experts said.
The number of June new-home permits was 102, the same as May but a 31.1 percent decline from June 2007's 148 permits, according to numbers compiled by the Wichita Area Builders Association.
"Clearly, the numbers are down," said Stan Longhofer, director of 麻豆传媒's Center for Real Estate. "What at first looked like a seasonal bump of remarkably good sales in 2006 when we had a nice winter and spring hasn't rebounded.
"We had a cold winter and lots of rain last year, and the thinking was it would rebound quickly. It hasn't."