IT TURNS OUT THAT 2012 WAS A BETTER YEAR FOR HOME BUILDERS IN THE ALBUQUERQUE METRO AREA. THERE WERE 20 PERCENT MORE HOUSING STARTS THAN THERE WERE THE PREVIOUS YEAR. JIM FOLKMAN WITH THE HOMEBUILDERS ASSOCIATION ADMITS THE INDUSTRY ISN'T AS ROBUST AS IT WAS, BUT HE SAYS WE'VE TURNED THE CORNER AND ARE REACHING A LEVEL OF RECOVERY.

 

FOLKMAN TELLS 770 KKOB THERE WERE ABOUT 15 HUNDRED HOUSING STARTS IN THE METRO LAST YEAR ... STILL LESS THAN HALF THE NUMBER HE'D LIKE TO SEE. AT THE PEAK OF THE HOUSING BOOM A FEW YEARS AGO, FOLKMAN SAYS 9-THOUSAND HOMES WERE BUILT IN A SINGLE YEAR. HE SAYS THAT WAS FAR TOO MANY.