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Residential building permits up

Single-family home construction was on the upswing in August, compared with last year, the Huntsville-Madison County Builders Association reported Thursday.

The association reported 179 permits for single-family homes last month, compared with 179 for July and 132 for August 2008.

Mark Harris, president of the builders association, attributed the increase in permits year-over-year to strong summer sales.

"We had a good sales month in July, so I'd say (new construction) was replacing homes sold in July," Harris said. He said he believes inventory is remaining fairly steady, with builders not looking to add beyond the current pace of sales.

Nationally, apartments led housing starts last month, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Construction of apartments jumped 25 percent nationwide, while single-family home starts dropped 3 percent.

Bloomberg News reported analysts blaming the expiration of the first-time buyer tax credit for the drop in single-family construction.

Regarding that tax credit, the IRS says Alabama homeowners have filed more than 25,000 claims for the first-time buyer credit.