New home construction up in state’s major metro areas

New home construction continues to improve in Wisconsin’s major metropolitan areas.

MTD Marketing Services of Wisconsin, an Oshkosh firm that tracks housing starts, reports that so far, this year compared to last, the greater Milwaukee area saw the largest increase: 152 percent, from 181 to 457 homes.

Scott Mathie is with the Metropolitan Builders Association based in Waukesha. “We’ve seen steady increases, not enormous increases, but steady increases over the past three years, in our market, in the metro Milwaukee market… But I think you’re going to see the metro areas throughout the region, throughout the state, and throughout the country probably recover a little more quickly than some of the more rural areas.”

Home starts in the Green Bay area increased 29 percent, from 217 to 281. While Racine-Kenosha saw a 24 percent increase, Dane County was up 18 percent and the Fox Valley region remained unchanged.