Home construction trends to watch in 2024

3 takeaways for the DSM metro

1. Norwalk's booming construction

• The most popular cities for homebuilding in 2023 were Ankeny, Waukee and Norwalk, Flint says. Expect that to continue in 2024.
• Norwalk's available land for development is helping it move up and be "neck and neck" with West Des Moines, she says.
• There were 115 active new homes on the market and 75 pending/closed in the last 180 days in Norwalk, according to MLS data.

2. Single-family demand continues

• People are still wanting their own backyards and a little bit of space from their neighbors after the pandemic.
• "They need room for the dog to roam," Flint says.

3. Lowering home prices

• National home development company D.R. Horton is a fast-emerging presence in the Des Moines metro, building and selling 600 homes in the last year.
• It was able to quickly lower its home prices last year thanks to the size of the company, Flint says.
• That's led to local developers like Hubbell to redesign some of their new homes to lower their prices.