Welcome to the Athens Area Home Builders Association

The Athens Area Home Builders Association is a non-profit professional trade association made up of member companies, representing residential and light commercial builders, subcontractors, suppliers, and many other service providers to the building industry throughout Athens-Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Hart, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Stephens, and Walton Counties. Together we are the foundation for the local home-building industry - building pride in our community through interaction, commitment, professionalism, education, community service, and environmental responsibility.

NAHB Now

The Growing Role of Women in the Workforce
Women have long played a crucial and multifaceted role in the labor force. Since peaking at around 60% in 1999, the women’s labor force participation rate flattened and then declined. As of March 2025, the rate is holding steady at 57.5%, and women now represent nearly half (47%) of the total U.S. labor force.
Senate Companion Bill Introduced for the Fix Our Forest Act
The Fix Our Forests Act would help improve the U.S. forest management system by expediting environmental reviews and ending frivolous litigation that often grinds needed forest management projects to a halt.
Register for NAHB's 2025 Legislative Conference Issues Briefing Webinar
The Issues Briefing webinar on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at noon ET will provide NAHB members with an overview of the high-priority topics to discuss with lawmakers.
Plan Now for Hurricane Season to Minimize Business Disruptions
The 2025 hurricane season is expected to be an active, above-average season. NAHB has resources to help you create or update a business continuity plan and strengthen your supply chain resilience.
Podcast: Economic Data Shows Unsettled Housing Market
On the latest episode of NAHB’s podcast, Housing Developments, CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez discuss the latest economic news and what to expect from Congress following its recent recess.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

New Members

Eye On Housing

Jobs Openings Fall as Economy Slows
Consistent with soft sentiment data, the count of job openings for the overall economy and construction fell in March as employers slowed hiring plans amid a broader economic slowdown, per the March Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The number of open jobs for the overall economy declined from 7.48 million...
Homeownership Rate Dips to Five-Year Low
The homeownership rate declined to 65.1% in the first quarter of 2025, the lowest level since the first quarter of 2020, according to the Census’s Housing Vacancy Survey (HVS). Amid elevated mortgage interest rates and tight housing supply, housing affordability is at a multidecade low. Compared to the peak of 69.2% in 2004, the homeownership...
April Mortgage Rates Edge Up Following Treasury Sell-Off
Mortgage rates edged up slightly in April, with the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage settling at 6.73%, according to Freddie Mac. This marks an 8-basis-point (bps) increase from March. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage increased by 7 bps to 5.90%. The uptick in mortgage rates followed a sell-off in U.S. Treasury securities, driven by concerns surrounding the...
Existing Home Sales Receded in March
Existing home sales declined in March, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), as affordability challenges continued to weigh on the market. For the first time, the median home price surpassed $400,000 for the month of March, underscoring the ongoing pressure on prospective buyers. While mortgage rates have eased slightly, persistent economic uncertainty may...
New Home Sales Rise in March
A modest decline in mortgage rates and lean existing inventory helped boost new home sales in March even as builders and consumers contend with uncertain market conditions. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in March increased 7.4% to a 724,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate from a revised January number, according to newly released data from...