ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION barely is meeting replacement needs, and the population continues to grow. The slow economic outlook dampens the rate of recovery in the construction industry, but growth will not come to a standstill. "Residential construction is at a very low level," says Bernard Markstein, chief economist at Reed Construction Data, Nor-cross, Ga. "If you look at the lowest levels, it's comparable to periods when the household population was half what it is today. Some of the inventory of foreclosed homes is deteriorating, and it's not always where it needs to be." Markstein believes there is pent-up demand, but people are choosing to rent apartments or houses rather than buy. "It's due in part to the uncertain jobs situation," Markstein says. "If the job market improves, people living with relatives and friends will move into the renter's market and some renters will decide to move into the single-family housing market—the ownership side of housing." Markstein says there are a lot of people who currently are locked into their homes because "they can't sell their houses for what they think they're worth," he says.
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机译：ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION勉强能满足替换需求，并且人口持续增长。缓慢的经济前景抑制了建筑业的复苏速度，但增长不会停滞不前。佐治亚州诺克罗斯市里德建筑数据公司（Reed Construction Data）首席经济学家伯纳德·马克斯坦（Bernard Markstein）说：“住宅建筑处于非常低的水平。如果将住宅建筑水平降至最低水平，则相当于家庭人口只有其一半的时期。今天。一些止赎房屋的存量正在恶化，而且并不总是需要。马克斯坦认为需求已被压抑，但人们选择租用公寓或房屋而不是购买。 “这部分归因于不确定的就业形势，”马克斯坦说。 “如果就业市场改善，与亲戚和朋友一起生活的人将进入租房者的市场，而一些租房者将决定进入单一家庭住房市场，即房屋的所有权方面。”马克斯坦说，目前有很多人被锁在家中，因为“他们不能以他们认为有价值的价格出售房屋。”
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