Builders, industry group share what encourages new home building

MADISON, Wis. — There are many factors that determine when and where home builders decide to put up new houses.

What You Need To Know

•     New home building starts were up about 4% between 2024 and 2025
•     Building material prices remain high, which creates a challenge for some builders
•     Luxury homebuilders, such as Victory Homes, say demand has been strong
•     WBA is optimistic that new legislation will encourage smaller home development

A lack of housing inventory generally drives up prices for buyers. In recent months, Milwaukee, Kenosha and Appleton have all been ranked by Realtor.com as some of the hottest housing markets in the country, largely due to a lack of available homes, including new-builds.  

The Wisconsin Builders Association keeps stats on new-home starts in the state. The data shows new home builds are up, but only slightly.

Home starts were up 3.9% between 2024 and 2025. In addition, home starts were up 5.8% in January-March 2026 compared to the same time period last year.  ..