The real estate market in Memphis is certainly a mixed bag, and while residential sales are up for the year, one area where the real estate has given way is in permits for new construction. Builders filed just under 200 permits in the third quarter within Shelby County, which is a decrease from the 229 of the same time in 2012. That results in a fourteen percent decrease from 2012 to 2013, and that isn’t the only way they decreased—the size of the homes that were being proposed is 1.5 percent smaller than the homes applying for permits in 2012.

The Germantown local movers have found that there is a variety of reasons why prospective builders are deciding to build slightly smaller and in fewer amounts. For one, many of the lots that are sitting undeveloped are scarce, and those who have some of the available land are not necessarily in a huge hurry to build something just for the sake of building. Additionally, continued worries about the economy, the government shutdown, budget battles and the Affordable Care Act have encouraged builders and developers to temporarily pause and see what effect it has on the economy, both locally and nationally.

Year to date, home builders have pulled 681 permits, down 2.6 percent from the 699 permits pulled in the first nine months of 2012, according to Chandler Reports. Builders have sold 604 homes thus far in the year, up 5 percent from the 574 sold in 2012.