Lumber prices have stabilized after unprecedented volatility.
There aren’t enough instructors to keep up with demand at Jess Hirsch’s Fireweed Community Woodshop in Minneapolis.
Lumber is about as cheap as it was before the pandemic, a sign of the slowing housing market. But savings are offset by rising financing costs.
Storms, supply chain problems, and a beetle infestation are among the factors in the lumber price spike.
High building costs have changed the equation for vintage materials.
There’s a limit on how much retailers can raise prices. At some point customers may just walk away.
An increase in the cost of new homes then drives up the price of existing homes, as the overall market becomes more competitive.
There isn’t a lot of inflation in the U.S. economy overall, but some commodities are spiking higher as the economy recovers.