Housing starts rose 14.6 percent in April from a year ago, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. This marks a continuing trend of increased starts, which measured approximately 1.2 million in April 2017 and in April 2022 came in at just above 1.7 million. Increased construction is one key element for relieving the country’s yearslong inventory shortage. If this increase sustains, and turns into more housing units, the industry’s supply-demand curve will become more balanced.