Privately owned housing starts in November were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.123 million, which is 17.5 percent above the November 2004 rate of 1.807 million.

Single-family housing starts in November 2005 were at a rate of 1.808 million; this is 4.8 percent above the October figure of 1.725 million. The November rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 277,000.

?EUR??,,????'??The housing market still is fundamentally healthy,?EUR??,,????'?? said Dave Wilson, president of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Privately owned housing completions in November were at a rate of 1.837 million. This is 4.9 percent below the revised October estimate of 1.932 million, but is 6.5 percent above the November 2004 rate of 1.725 million.

Single-family housing completions in November 2005 were at a rate of 1.579 million; this is 0.6 percent below the October figure of 1.588 million. The November rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 238,000.

Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in November were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.155 million. This is 2.5 percent above the revised October rate of 2.103 million and is three percent above the November 2004 estimate of 2.093 million.

Single-family authorizations in November were at a rate of 1.710 million; this is 0.2 percent above the October figure of 1.707 million. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 361,000 in November.

?EUR??,,????'??Measures of housing affordability have deteriorated in recent months, but economic fundamentals are still quite solid,?EUR??,,????'?? said NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders. ?EUR??,,????'??2005 will be a record year for single-family housing and the second best year for total housing starts, exceeded only in 1972 when multifamily production surged.?EUR??,,????'??