Hello everybody! Welcome back to Suburban Snacks, where we not only inform you of current Real Estate topics but also review a different food item every month! A new month means a new snack and this month’s snack is… SweeTarts jelly beans! Before we review the snack, we’ll be explaining how builder confidence has dipped for the third straight month! The rising costs of building materials continue to hamper the new-home industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices are 20.4% higher than a year ago and have jumped 31.3% since January 2020. This is killing builder confidence, which dipped in March for the third consecutive month. Builders continue to report solid buyer traffic, but increasing development and construction costs are affecting their outlook. The National Housing index showed the lowest future sales expectations since June 2020. Builders reported growing concerns that increasing construction costs and higher interest rates will price out more prospective home buyers from the market.