Topic: Housing starts rise 20 percent locally, helped by tax credit
Houston's new home market continued to strengthen during the second quarter, as the federal housing tax credit kept builders and homebuyers busy.
Areawide housing starts were up 20 percent, marking the third straight quarter of year-over-year increases. The number of new home closings was up too, according to a second-quarter report from Houston-based Metrostudy.

