CAPITAL'S RESIDENTIAL PERMITS GOOD SIGN

AUSTIN (Austin American-Statesman) – A third-quarter increase in builder-issued residential permits is a sign of the capital’s new-home market stabilizing, according to Houston-based Bohlke Consulting Group LLC.

The single-family residential permit tracking firm reported that a total of 2,185 permits were issued between July and September, a 9.2 percent increase over the same period last year.

It was the strongest quarter in more than a year, according to the firm’s vice president of consulting services, Gary Bohlke. This was despite a 45.3 decrease in permits in September from the year’s peak in July.

Bohlke expects builders to seek 6,700 to 7,000 permits this year, up from 2008 numbers.