Skilled labor shortage costs home building industry $10.8B annually
The ongoing skilled labor shortage is delaying the completion of thousands of new homes and costing the U.S. home building industry an estimated $10.8 billion per year, according to the Home Builders Institute’s (HBI) Fall 2025 Construction Labor Market Report. National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) economists found that the shortage adds $2.66 billion annually in higher carrying costs and results in $8.14 billion in lost single-family construction — roughly 19,000 homes — due to extended build times and limited skilled labor. Key findings of the report include: the residential construction workforce includes 3.3 million payroll workers; amid a slowing job market, builders and remodelers lost 26,100 jobs over the past year; wages for non-supervisory construction workers rose 9.2% in July, far outpacing overall inflation and sector-wide wage growth; women now represent 11.2% of construction workers — the highest share in 20 years, up from 9.1% in 2017; immigrant workers make up 25.5% of the construction workforce, and one in three tradespeople was born outside the U.S.; Gen Z participation has more than doubled, rising from 6.4% in 2019 to 14.1% in 2023. Read more at the NAHB website.
Source: National Association of Home Builders; 10/10/2025

Municipal election is Nov. 4; register to vote by Oct. 20
The Municipal Election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. Polls will be open on election day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The last day to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 20. The last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 28. Find more election information at the state Voting and Elections website. Check out the Suburban Realtors Alliance’s Guide to Elected Officials to learn how each local office affects real estate.
Source: PA Department of State

Voters in three towns face ballot referendums
Voters in three municipalities in the Philadelphia suburbs will see referendum questions on their election ballots: 

• West Pikeland Township, Chester County, residents will be asked if they favor raising property taxes by up to 1.5 mills in order to fund and maintain the West Pikeland Township Police Department. Read the full question on the county website.
• Upper Frederick Township, Montgomery County, residents will be asked if they favor a 0.04% increase in the earned income tax for purposes including parks, open space and natural resource preservation. Read the full question on a sample ballot.
• Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, residents will be asked if they favor a 0.06% increase in the earned income tax and a 0.5-mill increase in the real property tax to expand the township’s trail and recreation systems, mitigate flood damage, preserve clean water and wildlife habitats, and acquire open space. Read the full question on a sample ballot.

Important, bipartisan housing bill passes U.S. Senate
The Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream to Housing Act of 2025, also known as the ROAD to Housing Act, passed the full Senate on Oct. 9, as part of its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The National Association of Realtors has highlighted several major policy changes in the bill. 

• Building more homes and cutting red tape: Helps communities overcome zoning and other barriers, streamlines environmental reviews for housing projects, and creates grants for communities that build more homes.
• Opening doors to homeownership: Removes barriers that make it harder to get smaller mortgages, improves the home appraisal process, helps families save for homes, and ensures veterans know about their home loan benefits.
• Supporting housing innovation: Updates rules and financing for manufactured and modular homes, and encourages new building technologies that make housing more affordable.
• Helping communities recover from disasters: Permanently authorizes disaster recovery efforts to help communities rebuild while incorporating resilience measures to reduce repetitive losses and maintain insurability.

With the Senate passage of the NDAA, the ROAD to Housing Act will now be considered as part of the House version of the NDAA.
Source: NAR; 10/13/2025

The 25 Philly suburbs where your housing dollar goes furthest
Suburban areas across the greater Philadelphia metro region were compared in a recent analysis that examined affordability, livability and housing stability. Niche’s new 2025 Best Suburbs to Buy a House rankings take a data-driven look at home values, property taxes, school performance and community safety. The collar counties of southeastern Pennsylvania, including Montgomery, Chester, Bucks and Delaware counties, dominated the rankings. West Conshochocken Borough, Chesterbrook (a census-designated community) and Pocopson Township placed in the top three spots on the list.
Source: Malvern Patch; 10/14/2025 

Greater Philadelphia’s hottest housing market is in Levittown
Second quarter sales reports have homes in Levittown selling faster than anywhere else in the Greater Philadelphia region. An analysis of the country’s hottest housing markets from the Business Journals was based on quarterly listing and sales data from ZIP codes with at least 10 sales in the quarter. It shows that the average home in Levittown's 19054 ZIP code went from list to close in 50 days, the shortest transaction time in the region. There were 32 home sales in 19054, coming in at an average sale price of $399,000. Levittown's 19057 ZIP code was close behind, closing 52 days after hitting the market and selling for an average of $347,000. Joining Levittown in the list of areas where the average home sold in 55 days or less in the second quarter are: (3) Swarthmore; (5) Prospect Park; (6) Philadelphia; (8) Springfield; (10) Langhorne; (11) Glenside; (12) Havertown; and (13) Paoli.
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal; 10/12/2025

Solebury talks budget, peddling and board vacancy
Solebury Township supervisors recently discussed preliminary budget figures for 2026. Although spending will increase by 1.5%, a 3.7% increase in revenue and a surplus of about $57,000 will allow the township to maintain the current real estate tax rate of 25.9 mills. The supervisors will take up formal budget discussions in November. Supervisors also agreed on an ordinance that will restrict peddling, solicitation and canvassing by setting permit requirements and time limitations, and prohibiting street sales. The township is also seeking to fill a vacancy on the board of supervisors following the resignation of Hanna Howe, effective Oct. 15.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 10/14/2025 & Solebury Township

Courier Times reviews Bucks County tax rates for schools
The Bucks County Courier Times reviewed tax parcel data and current millage rates to see where the highest and lowest taxes are in the county. School taxes vary widely depending on where homeowners live, and annual bills can range from around $2,800 to over $7,600. The assessed value of a property and the millage rate set by each of the county's school districts play a major role in determining tax bills, with school taxes comprising the largest portion of property taxes. Council Rock School District had the highest average school tax bill at $7,634, while Bristol Borough had the lowest at $2,812. Despite having one of the lowest millage rates at 120.51, New Hope-Solebury had the second-highest average bill at $7,181, reflecting its higher property values. On the other end, districts like Morrisville and Bristol Township have high millage rates (268.84 and 226.74, respectively) but more modest average tax bills due to lower assessed property values. The data reveal that while high millage rates don't always mean higher taxes, property values are a key driver, with more affluent areas often paying more despite lower tax rates.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 10/10/2025

Bristol Borough residents to see sewer rate hike in 2026
Bristol Borough sewer customers will see a rate increase starting Jan. 1, 2026, with average monthly bills rising by about $20 — a 43% hike over earlier estimates made when the borough sold its sewer system to the Bucks County Water & Sewer Authority (BCWSA) in 2022. The increase, tied to rising utility costs and system improvements, follows the end of a three-year rate freeze promised during the $50 million sale. Since then, BCWSA has invested over $2.2 million in upgrades, including infrastructure repairs, monitoring systems and security enhancements. The authority serves around 525,000 residents in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 10/14/2025

BCAR to host webinar on housing affordability in Bucks County
Low inventory and high prices are pushing homeownership out of reach for workers, families and young adults in Bucks County — and making it difficult for seniors to downsize and stay in the communities they love. The Bucks County Association of Realtors will host a one-hour webinar — Housing That Works: Smart Growth & Affordable Solutions for Bucks County — focused on attainable and workforce housing solutions that can help communities grow sustainably. Suburban Realtors Alliance president and CEO Jamie Ridge will serve as moderator and will be joined by state Rep. Jim Prokopiak (D-140), sponsor of a new bill promoting smart growth and housing affordability, and Evan Stone, executive director of the Bucks County Planning Commission. The webinar will be held Friday, Oct. 24, at noon.
Source: BCAR 

Moran Farm secures approval from Oxford Borough
Oxford Borough Council finally approved the land-development plan for the Moran Farm, which will add 91 homes in the borough. Another 39 homes will be going in on the piece of the property that is in East Nottingham Township. The plan has changed over the years from a 55-plus community to now 91 single-family homes. The cost of a home is expected to start at $500,000. Residents from the borough and from nearby municipalities raised concerns relating to increased traffic, strain on the volunteer fire company and flooding. Borough solicitor Stacey Fuller informed council that she had sent a letter to the developer regarding any outstanding issues, and they satisfied all requirements.
Source: Chester County Press; 10/9/2025

VFMA closure quietly made way for new charter school campaign
In September, the president of Valley Forge Military Academy (VFMA) stunned parents, alumni and faculty when he announced that the school would permanently close next year, citing years of declining enrollment and money troubles. But his account about the VFMA’s demise masked another plan that officials declined to disclose at the time. The president and board had spent months discussing plans to install a charter school that would replace the academy on the historic Main Line campus — a plan that was predicated on the academy’s closure, according to two organizers of the proposal. The 60-acre property straddles Radnor Township in Delaware County and Tredyffrin Township in Chester County. By the time the public announcement of the closing was made, a group of charter school backers was already forming a pitch for the Valley Forge Public Service Academy Charter School, alongside plans for 30 units of affordable housing in the academy barracks and a new community center for Radnor residents. The viability of the charter school plan remains an open question, as two prior attempts to create one there failed. If approved, it would enroll up to 150 students next year to prepare them for careers as first responders, such as police officers and firefighters, and as public servants.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 10/14/2025

Plan to turn Pennhurst site into data center outrages neighbors
A new plan to convert Pennhurst in East Vincent Township into a massive data center has outraged and mobilized local residents, as well as people in neighboring communities in an area known for rolling hills, farms and an overall rural character. An online petition urging Chester County neighbors and East Vincent Township officials to “work together toward a solution that preserves the Pennhurst property, honors its history, and protects the environment and quality of life for all who live, work and visit” has over 1,800 signatures. Pennhurst State School and Hospital was a center for people with developmental disabilities, and the site now operates as a Halloween attraction. Pennhurst’s owner, Pennhurst Holdings LLC, has not yet filed a formal application to develop the site, but an engineering firm has submitted a sketch of a preliminary plan to East Vincent to develop 125 acres for use as a data center. The sketch calls for five two-story data center buildings, a sixth building, an electrical substation, and a solar field. Together, the buildings to house data operations would total more than 1.3 million square feet. Township officials have agreed that a data center would be allowed in the industrial, mixed-use zoning district. In recent months, East Vincent officials have raced to draft an ordinance that would govern data centers by limiting building heights, mandating buffers, requiring lighting, noting the number of trees that can be cut down, and other restrictions. Officials said the draft ordinance was not specifically aimed at the Pennhurst site but was meant to broadly govern any data centers proposed in the township.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 10/13/2025

Chester County 2020 offers subdivision and development course
Chester County 2020, an organization focused on planning and smart growth, is offering a course on subdivision and land development review. The course focuses on the vital role of planning commissions in the subdivision and land development review process — from pre-application meetings through project completion. Emphasizing the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code as the foundation for regulating development, the course introduces flexible design concepts and improved project design options. The course costs $160 and will be held on Thursday evenings from Oct. 23 to Nov. 6 at West Chester University.
Source: Chester County 2020; 10/2025

West Chester University plan draws criticism from residents
West Chester University’s plan to demolish the aging College Arms apartments and replace them with a 420-bed student residence has drawn sharp criticism from nearby residents and borough officials concerned about overcrowding, parking and the loss of neighborhood character. The proposed development, which would require rezoning from a Neighborhood Conservation District to a new Planned University District-2, would quadruple the number of student beds and add retail and administrative space along High Street. Borough council members and residents warned the project could worsen congestion and erode affordable housing in one of West Chester’s most densely populated areas, while university representatives argued the new dorms would reduce pressure on off-campus housing and modernize unsafe facilities. A community meeting on the proposal is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Philips Memorial Building.
Source: Daily Local; 10/15/2025