Strong December for Housing

Manteca ends 2010 with 355 new housing starts

Manteca builders ended 2010 by accelerating housing starts for the third best December on record.

Builders started 60 new homes in December - including seven custom homes. That followed on the heels of the best November for housing starts in seven years with 41 homes breaking ground. The strong finish for the year ratcheted up the city’s housing starts for 2010 to 355 to allow Manteca to lead the Northern San Joaquin Valley for the third consecutive year.

It reflected an increase of 51 new home starts over the 2009 level of 304.

The 355 homes represent 889,336 square feet or living space the equivalent of 11 Manteca Walmart stores. That represents an average of 2,505 square feet per home.

The size of the home reflects a growing confidence in the new housing market.

At the bottom of the new housing market in February 2008 when 10 permits were issued, the average size fell to 1,577 square feet.

There are clear signs in the past two months that the appetite - and ability to pay - for 4,000 square-foot new homes is on the rise.

Since the start of December Atherton Homes has sold six of The Pinnacle models in the Summit Collection at Union Ranch. The Pinnacle goes up to 4,041 square feet of living space. Atherton Homes is the only builder in Manteca currently building homes larger than 4,000 square feet. Prior to that it took Atherton Homes 2 ½ years to sell four homes larger than 4,000 square feet.

By Dennis Wyatt
Managing Editor
dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
209-249-3532