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I don't buy this Sawmill BS/Supply side shortage. This industry is controlled by a handful of big players that used lobbying/tariffs to raise prices because the

I don't buy this Sawmill BS/Supply side shortage. This industry is controlled by a handful of big players that used lobbying/tariffs to raise prices because they could, the pandemic is just an excuse. Timber is still being cut and arriving at sawmills, still being processed and shipped. Housing starts in the US and Canada are down, RENO's in Canada are up (because you can't afford to sell and buy). You can also attribute some of the rising cost to Inflation, it's coming at us in a big way. Look to see where the money is going and you'll find the folks who orchestrated this.

lftl 5y ago
Are housing starts down? The article included this graph[1] that shows starts taking a brief dip in Q1 of last year, but bouncing back to above pre-pandemic but not pre-2008 levels. Anecdotally, I see plenty of new construction going up in our town, I assume mostly on the basis of low interest rates since the prices they're selling for definitely aren't low. I've heard the same from a realtor friend in a larger city, saying that builders are signing plenty of contracts, and are even telling people there's no guaranteed delivery date as part of the deal. [1] https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22481706/New_housing_starts_2000_to_2021.png https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22481706/N...
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medium_burrito 5y ago
It is a supply shortage. Get out and talk to a carpenter or a general contractor. Sawmills closed, surviving ones have less capacity due to health precautions, and then demand exploded.
drocer88 5y ago
Housing starts are up: https:/ /www.census.gov/construction/nrc/pdf/newresconst.pdf
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