2014 'A great year': Polk Home Construction Reaches 7-Year High

Published: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 10:58 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 10:58 p.m.

LAKELAND | The local home building industry saw more improvement in 2014, as construction activity reached a seven-year high.

A total 2,497 permits for new single-family homes were recorded in Polk last year, jumping 29 percent from 1,936 permits in 2013, according to county and city building departments.

Last year was the busiest for area builders since the recession.

"2014 was a great year compared to what we went through for the six to seven years prior," said Ken War- ren, president of Lakeland-based Kensington Homes, an Arthur Rutenberg franchise.

Warren said his business completed 21 home sales last year, more than double the amount it was seeing during some of the toughest years of the recession.

"Right now we have 18 homes under construction. That's a good number for a custom builder," Warren said Wednesday.

Builders say that sales are picking up as the job market improves and more buyers see signs of a stabilizing economy. In addi- tion, distressed home sales have declined and median home prices continue to rise, making it easier for builders to compete on price.

Meanwhile, economists and builders have voiced concerns about the financial challenges faced by younger generations, and how that limits overall housing demand.

Polk had 174 new home permits in December, rising about 9 percent from the year before. It was the highest total for the month of December since 2007, when 194 permits were recorded.

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2014 'A great year': Polk Home Construction Reaches 7-Year High