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National labor shortage affects Rochester home-building
National labor shortage affects Rochester home-building
The nation’s labor shortage is affecting Rochester, resulting in delays for homeowners, according to the Rochester Home Builders’ Association.
Fewer homes can be built, and the homes take longer to build, according to Rick Herman, CEO of the Rochester Home Builders’ Association.
“We started to notice the labor shortage locally about two years ago,” he said in a statement. “Framing crews are in the greatest demand among the builders, but we are seeing shortages of carpenters, masons, and plumbers.”
Due to the recession-induced collapse of the housing market, many workers got out of the industry altogether. Labor costs for workers in high demand are climbing, according to the RHBA.
“It’s a real effort to get help,” said Joe Sortino, president of Sortino Properties Inc., in a statement. “We used to build new homes in about 90 days, now it takes us five months.”
Those looking to remodel need to realize the delays, Herman says.
“We are also in a hot housing market, and inventory is low, creating a demand for new homes,” he said in a statement. “The people who are choosing to buy want to update the kitchen, or add on to a master bath because the homes for sale are older and need remodeling. We just have to get creative and consumers need to be patient.”
Follow Kerry Feltner on Twitter: @KerryFeltner
(c) 2017 Rochester Business Journal. To obtain permission to reprint this article, call 585-363-7269 or email [email protected].
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