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
- New Data Show Housing Affordability Concerns Across the U.S.In 39 states and D.C., over 65% of households are priced out of the median-priced new home market.
- Falling Mortgage Rates Make Homeownership Possible for Millions of HouseholdsThe average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to around 6% last week, the lowest rate borrowers have seen in close to three years. Borrowers will not only enjoy lower monthly payments at that rate, but it also makes homeownership possible for millions more.
- Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump’s Tariffs – But Uncertainty PersistsThe Supreme Court on Feb. 20 ruled that President Trump’s attempts to use emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) was not valid. But Trump still has wide latitude in setting tariff policy and announced a new global tariff of 15%. American consumers and businesses are unsure how any new tariffs will […]
- NAHB’s Best in American Living Awards Highlight Top Design Trends for 2026NAHB received nearly 650 application submissions for the 2025 Best in American Living™ Awards, sponsored by Smeg. The winners—66 Gold winners who took home top honors and 159 Silver winners—were announced last week at the NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando.
- How Students are Turning Classrooms into Residential Construction LaunchpadsFrom showcase homes to hands-on jobsite shadowing, high school students are taking more immersive pathways toward potential careers in construction.
Upcoming Meetings & Events
New Members
Eye On Housing
- Young Adult Headship Rates in 2024: Cyclical Slip or New Equilibrium?Reversing the post-pandemic rebound, the headship rates among young adults (the share of the population heading their own households) declined in 2024, according to NAHB’s analysis of the American Community Survey (ACS) data. Even so, the current rate of 43.7% marks a significant improvement from 2017, when only 40.2% of adults ages 25-34 headed their […]
- A 25-Basis-Point Decline in the Mortgage Rate Prices-In 1.42 Million HouseholdsHousing affordability remains a critical challenge nationwide, and mortgage rates continue to play a central role in shaping homebuying power. Although rates have declined from the recent peak of about 7.6% in 2023 to around 6.01% as of February 19,2026, they remain elevated relative to typical levels in the 2010s. During that decade, mortgage rates […]
- New Home Sales Close 2025 with Modest GainsNew home sales ended 2025 on a mixed but resilient note, signaling steady underlying demand despite ongoing affordability and supply constraints. The latest data released today (and delayed because of the government shutdown in fall of 2025) indicate that while month-to-month activity shows a small decline, sales remain stronger than a year ago, signaling that […]
- U.S. Economy Ends 2025 on a Slower NoteReal GDP growth slowed sharply in the fourth quarter of 2025 as the historic government shutdown weighed on economic activity. While consumer spending continued to drive growth, federal government spending subtracted over a full percentage point from overall growth. According to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), real gross domestic […]
- Delinquency Rates Normalize While Credit Card and Student Loan Stress WorsensDelinquent consumer loans have steadily increased as pandemic distortions fade, returning broadly to pre-pandemic levels. According to the latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 4.8% of outstanding household debt was delinquent at the end of 2025, 0.3 percentage points higher than the third quarter of […]
