The year 2020 was not a good one for new home startups in Indiana County. Whether it was caused by pandemic restrictions or by other factors, there were only 14 construction permits issued for the entire county, the fewest since 2011 when there were six.
In 2010 there was a record total of 63 housing permit applications, although only 47 of them were actually issued, according to Carla Minarcin of the Indiana County Office of Planning and Development. There was, in fact, a spike in new housing starts across Pennsylvania from 2007 to 2010 thanks to a new state requirement requiring sprinkler systems in new homes that took effect in 2011.
New home start-ups have been declining in recent years, and Dick Clawson, Executive Director of the Indiana Armstrong Builders Association blames it on a stagnant economy in Indiana County.
Clawson said a shortage of supplies also didn’t help.
Clawson says prices have been stabilizing recently but supply chains continue to be troubling.
In 2018, there were 24 permits for new single-family dwellings issued in Indiana County. The number fell to 21 in 2019, and to 14 last year.
The highest estimated cost of a new home last year was more than $1.22 million. The second-highest cost was $338,000.
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