Homebuilding in the Kansas City area picked up in June

Homebuilders in the Kansas City area enjoyed their busiest June in nearly eight years, helped by an increase in the number of first-time buyers entering the market.

Builders took out permits for 433 single-family homes during June, up from 364 a year ago, the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City reported Tuesday. June’s total was also up from 392 permits issued in May.

Through the first six months of 2015, 2,148 permits have been issued in the eight-county area, compared with 2,053 in the same period last year, the association said.

“For the third year in a row, our single-family permits are virtually flat at midyear,” Sara Corless, the association’s executive vice president, said in a statement. “However, with the rainy May and June out of the way, we hope to gather some momentum in the second half of the year.”

Corless noted two positive trends — more first-time homebuyers and a greater demand for custom homes.

Clay County led area counties with 106 permits in June, up 31 percent from the same month in 2014.

The top six cities were Kansas City, Olathe, Overland Park, Lee’s Summit, Lenexa and Blue Springs.

Construction on multifamily housing remained strong in June, with permits issued for 120 units, the association said. That brought the year-to-date total to 1,528.

This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Homebuilding in the Kansas City area picked up in June."