Homebuilder Confidence Drops to 13-Month Low on High Material Costs and Surging Home Prices Posted byThe Epoch Times August 17, 2021 Leave a comment on Homebuilder Confidence Drops to 13-Month Low on High Material Costs and Surging Home Prices The HMI index component that gauges current sales conditions fell five points to 81 in August, while the part that measures traffic of prospective buyers also recorded a five-point drop to 60.