Statewide, home construction ticked upward last year, according to the Wisconsin Builders Association: 11,657 new permits for single-family homes were taken out during 2023, a 3% increase over the 2022 total, the organization said in a recent report. On an even brighter note, the number of permits pulled in the final three months of 2023 was 22% higher than the same period the prior year, the builders group said.

“We are pleased with the growth we’ve seen in 2023,” WBA President Jim Doering said in a media release. “Easing interest rates have been helping spur the homebuilding industry, and we anticipate continuing to see an increase of construction as rates are expected to continue dropping this spring and summer.”

However, that statewide trend didn’t hold true in the Chippewa Valley. In Eau Claire County the number of new single-family home permits fell from 248 in 2022 to 216 last year, a dip of roughly 13%. Likewise, new single-family home permits in Chippewa County fell from 234 to 222, or 5%, year over year, while they remained virtually flat in Dunn County (148 in 2022 vs. 149 last year).

EXISTING HOME SALES

Sales of existing homes across the state are also showing signs of growth. For the first time in more than two years, monthly home sales exceeded the level they were the previous year: Specifically, the number of homes sold in January 2024 rose 7.4% over the number in January 2023, the Wisconsin Realtors Association announced. In Eau Claire County, the figure grew slightly over the same period, from 54 homes sold in January 2023 to 57 in January 2024. This slight uptick is notable mostly because of the downward trend over recent years.