Birmingham area homebuilders may be poised for a comeback this year. – by Dawn Kent, Birmingham News

Metro Birmingham homebuilders could be poised for a comeback in 2011, after a steep market downturn left most of the industry battered.

During a two-week period in January, more than 50 building permits were issued for speculative single-family homes in area neighborhoods, according to data collected by Southern Exposure, a Huntsville firm that tracks permit activity. That’s up from roughly 10 a week in recent months.

The sharp uptick might be the result of seasonal factors, said Bart Fletcher, executive officer of the Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders.

If builders want to have houses ready for the typically busy spring buying season, now is the time they start working on them, he said.

But, Fletcher added, “I think builders are more optimistic about 2011. I think that we really believe we have seen the bottom. A lot of builders have not built anything new for quite some time. We’ve worked through the inventory.”

The original article in its entirety from Dawn Kent at the Birmingham News can be found at the AL.com blog.