All signs point to a strong housing market.
Huntington has seen an increase of people building new homes while the county is seeing strong permit numbers despite not handling the city permits, In addition, at least one Realtor says the market is recovering from 2008.
The state as a whole is seeing an increase in new home building permits as well, according to a release on www.insideindianabusiness.com. According to the release, last month the Indiana Business Association issued 1,309 permits, up from 1,276 in June 2014, an 11 percent increase.
Bryn Keplinger, director of the Huntington City Department of Community Development and Redevelopment, said year-to-date the department has had 16 new home building permits valued at $2.5 million.
Last year, he said, there were 10 new home permits valued at $1.6 million in that same time period.
"What you're seeing is a byproduct of the economy," Keplinger said. "The effects of the recession are beginning to fade to a minimal level; I think the lending institutions are finding their grooves again. People aren't afraid to lend money for new construction."
The new home construction aspect of the housing market, he added, is finding its "even keel." Oftentimes, Keplinger said, this has a ripple-effect as these people leave a house that doesn't meet their needs and that house comes on the market.
Kim Hostetler, interim director of the Huntington County Department of Community Development, said her department has issued 14 new housing permits this year with one or two still waiting to be picked up.
Last year, there were 31 total new housing permits issued, she said, though the county DCD handled building permits for the city for much of the year.
"Last year, we had the city up until September," she said. "That would explain why the numbers were a bit higher last year. To think about it, we're just doing the county now and we're half what we had last year and we still have half a year to go."
Hostetler said there is usually a "mad rush" in the fall to get building permits.
"Later in the season (last year), I want to say September, we had six or seven new home (permits)," Hostetler said. "The thing of it is, towards the fall, you'll have that rush of people going 'oh, it's getting close to wintertime, we better get started.'"
The real estate market is also doing well.
RE/MAX Realtor Denise McNally said this is the peak season and that her office is "very busy."
"Interest rates are still really good so we've got a lot of first-time homebuyers," she said. "We still have the first-time homebuyer programs out there that are still available."
In addition, McNally said she is seeing less in the foreclosure market and more in traditional financing and home sale.
"Our market is coming back to what it was prior to the 2008 downfall that we had," she said.