The chief economist for Realtor.com has said that she expects home sales to hit a 16-year high this year. She said that she expects a record year for homebuyers, and trends show that competition is continuing to stay strong with demand outnumbering the available units.

According to Forbes, housing inventory is picking up at a record pace. For the third month in a row, listings increased with July listings up 30.7 percent. While buyers had more options when it came to buying, the competition remained in the sellers’ favor, according to experts.

While the U.S. housing market is growing toward a more level supply versus demand total, there is still a strong demand for more housing units. That means that the construction industry will remain in demand in the residential construction realm.

With a need for residential construction projects, there remains a strong need for skilled laborers and equipment operators in the construction industry. If you are looking for a new career with strong job opportunities, training as a heavy equipment operator or learning the different skill sets for a construction worker can be a real asset to your future.

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Homes are becoming more expensive, and ways of reducing costs, for the builder and the buyer, have been in demand for some time. One of the most popular ways to reduce both cost and site construction time has been the Modular Homes approach.

Modular homes, also known as factory-built, system-built, or even prefabs (short for prefabricated), are not new. In fact, after WW2, thousands of prefabs were used to rebuild the housing stock in the UK, it’s a tried and tested approach that has now been completely refined.

The Difference in Modular Homes

What set these modern modular homes apart from the standard constructed homes we are used to, is that they are built in parts in factories, and then shipped to the site to be assembled on permanent foundations. To ensure strength and longevity, building regulations for modular homes are very precise, and often exceed the requirements of traditionally built homes.

This approach does two things, first, it reduces overall construction costs, with only the final installation being done on-site, they are not affected by weather or other delays as can happen on-site. The production line nature of the component pieces of the home means that they can be produced much more quickly without sacrificing any quality, benefiting everyone.

Secondly, on-site, construction is simple. First, the new foundations are laid, as there would be for any new home, after that, the components are shipped to the site and then put together. With the bulk of the work done in the factory, a new home can be completed in just a few weeks, much faster than the traditional approach. However, many people think that this comes at a cost, with modular homes all looking exactly the same, you have to take what is on offer. That used to be the case, but today, modular homes are customizable, and you really can create the home of your dreams with the modular approach, and also save a lot of money in the process.

One of the biggest challenges on any site is the delays due to weather issues, and for all-year-round construction projects such as home building, this can be a particular issue. For anyone working on-site, that causes a lot of issues, and a faster process that avoids such delays is beneficial to everyone. The modular home sections arrive complete, and they are lifted into position using a crane. Each section is added in turn until the house is finished, a little like putting Lego bricks together to make a structure.

Modular homes are growing in popularity thanks to fast construction and cheaper costs when compared with traditional homes, this is not only good for home buyers but represents a valuable, year-round opportunity for crane operators. Home construction is changing, and modular homes are definitely the homes of the future.

Employment in construction and heavy equipment operations is on the improve with pressure mounting to find sufficient skilled operators to complete contracted work on time. February saw the first real increase in new home constructions for seven months. According to the Wall Street Journal, February’s new starts were up 22% on January with the biggest growth being in apartment construction. However, even single-family homes increased marginally.

Apartment and multi-family dwellings had a massive 82% increase for the year. Home construction numbers of course rise and fall rapidly and cannot always be a real economic indicator. However, add in the Obama Stimulus Package that will see an huge increase in general construction, particularly roads, bridges and schools and suddenly you have a lot of pressure building on the construction industry and a lot of pressure on heavy equipment to complete ground clearing activities.

One of the causes for this increase in home building is undoubtedly the foresight of developers looking to get their works completed before the demand for construction crews really picks up. Whilst labor for house building is not the same as that required for road building, the heavy equipment operators that prepare the way are the same. Add to that the fact that heavy equipment operators are always the first crew required on any construction site, you can see why the lack of trained operators is starting to bite.

Those looking for a career change should, if they are interested in outdoor work, consider undertaking training in the field of heavy equipment operations. The training is not difficult and the work itself, whilst at times challenging, is interesting and varied. Even in tough economic climates, the construction industry is almost always the last to fall and the first to recover. This provides a reasonable level of job security when compared to many other employment sectors.

Employment in the construction sector is set to boom with areas like heavy equipment operations being the first to feel the pinch when it comes to a lack of suitably qualified heavy equipment operators. The smart individuals will get their heavy equipment training completed now so they are prepared for what should be a very busy couple of years. Heavy equipment operators are needed now – are you going to be one of them?