The Homeowner Index is a quarterly measurement of sentiment among U.S. homeowners across a wide variety of topics that are pertinent to helping home improvement professionals better serve the market.
2018 was a great year as far as the U.S. economy was concerned. Sales of HVAC equipment remained strong, the unemployment rate stayed below 4 percent, and the GDP increased.
Average sales for HARDI members increased by 3.6 percent in December 2018, and the average annualized growth for the 12 months through December was 11.4 percent.
“This year got off to a 4.4 percent start, which looks pretty good when you realize it is being compared to a month [January 2018] that had a 19.4 percent gain.”
Across the nation, many contractors have prepared for the new year with plans of growth, improvement, and a bevy of changes to increase their businesses. Although they may be prepared, unknown factors exist, and contractors have questions as to what the year might hold.
“October was another exceptional month for HARDI distributors,” said Brian Loftus, market research & benchmarking analyst, HARDI. “Cooling season began with 20 percent sales growth in May and now heating season is off to an impressive start.”