January “green shoots” won’t tell homebuilders what July will

If you walked the aisles at this year’s International Builders Show, you could feel it.

The vibe wasn’t panic. It wasn’t euphoria. It was something in between – a cautious optimism that maybe, just maybe, the worst is behind us.

Traffic anecdotes sounded a little better. Some builders spoke about steadier January sales activity. Conversations drifted toward the idea that the…