Majority of Builders Report Major Issues With Getting Appliances

When it comes to building materials, home builders are often troubled by delays or price changes with softwood lumber, concrete, and gypsum wallboard. But now, home builders are reporting difficulty obtaining appliances in a timely fashion, according to a new report from the National Association of Home Builders. Just 11% of surveyed builders said they have no difficulty obtaining appliances in a timely manner, while 51% say they have had major difficulty, and 38% say they have had minor difficulty. It’s a problem that's been plaguing builders big and small for the last six months. 

The survey didn’t ask for more information about the nature of the difficulty, but one builder wrote in that his appliances had been on backorder for months.

Although the appliance problem is clearly affecting builders of all sizes, it is not not quite as ubiquitous among smaller builders.  “Only” 82 percent of builders who built fewer than six homes last year reported trouble getting appliances in a timely fashion—compared to at least 90 percent of builders in the three larger size tiers.

In some cases, a builder may be able to sell a house without including all appliances, leaving it to the ultimate home owner to supply one or more of them.  This is not always practical, however—depending on the type of house and appliance. 

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