{"content":[{"text":"Vehicle sales continue to push ever upward in Lubbock with inflation-adjusted auto spending setting new \n records for the month of June, the second quarter, and the first half of the year. Second quarter real auto \n spending was up by over 10% compared to the second quarter of a year ago, which in turn was up by \n nearly 11% compared to the prior year. Midway through 2018 auto spending is up by 9% compared to \n the first six months of 2017.","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.088807,"width":0.7590330000000001,"height":0.082559}},{"text":"Construction activity has expanded dramatically in recent years – 32% in 2015, 18% in 2016, and another \n 10% in 2017. After setting records last year construction has slowed considerably in 2018 with the real \n dollar valuation of all building permits issued down by 46% through midyear compared to the January- \n June total from a year ago. The second quarter total was off by 58% compared to the second quarter of \n 2017, which in turn was up by 94% compared to the previous year. The June monthly total posted a year- \n over-year increase, however, up by 6% compared to June of a year ago, and in fact was the third-highest \n June building permit total on record.","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.18459,"width":0.7629940000000001,"height":0.11450399999999997}},{"text":"Single-family housing construction is down across the board off by 31% in June, 18% in the second \n quarter, and 11% through the first half of the year compared to year-ago levels. Again, however, the \n number of second quarter and year-to-date through June permits issued in 2017 were at record levels by \n far and home building in 2017 has slowed on the heels of strong growth the previous three years.","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.312468,"width":0.7467490000000001,"height":0.06651199999999996}},{"text":"Over 2,200 home sales were recorded through June 2018, a record for the first six months of the year and \n an increase of nearly 8% compared to the midway point in 2017. The June monthly and second quarter \n sales totals were also record numbers up by about 8% compared to year-ago levels. The average price of \n those sales continues to climb at a healthy pace up by 3.5% year-over-year in the second quarter, and \n 3.7% through the first six months of the year. The June average price was down slightly compared to \n June of a year ago, which in turn was up by over 9% compared to the prior year.","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.392355,"width":0.757244,"height":0.09844299999999995}},{"text":"The real (inflation-adjusted) total dollar volume of housing sales in the Lubbock market expanded by \n 4.4% year-over-year in the month of June, 8.5% in the second quarter, and 8.7% through the first six \n months of the year compared to year-ago levels. Lubbock home sales activity is impressively on the rise \n in 2018 after easing a bit in 2017 and is setting records by every measure midway through the year.","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.504173,"width":0.753663,"height":0.06649900000000009}},{"text":"The Lubbock metro area economy is approaching seven straight years of expansion at midyear 2018. The \n Lubbock Economic Index has flattened a bit in the first six months of the year and the rates of year-over- \n year growth in the index have slowed. But at this point there is certainly reason to believe the Lubbock \n economy will continue to experience general growth for the balance of the year. Or, put another way, \n there is little to suggest that any sort of localized contraction or recession is looming around the corner in \n the second half of 2018.","bbox":{"left":0.117686,"top":0.584047,"width":0.763113,"height":0.09844300000000006}},{"text":"____________________________________________________","bbox":{"left":0.266111,"top":0.695713,"width":0.467035,"height":0.018595000000000028}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}