Growth in Allen County area in 2017 brings good, bad

Far be it for him to engage in irrational enthusiasm. He knows that along with every good thing in his business, there's also a not-so-good thing.

So while Allen is excited about last week's announcement that Allen County's residential and commercial building permits topped $1 billion in value for the first time, he also sees challenges on the horizon. 

Like labor shortages leading to higher labor costs. Higher prices for lumber and other supplies. And, ultimately, higher prices for buyers of new home.

“I always like to be kind of measured and balanced when I look at things,” said Allen, owner of upscale custom home builder Timberlin Homes and new president of the Home Builders Association of Fort Wayne.

“The good news is that people are buying houses and the economy is strong. And, we have jobs and there's income and even surplus income,” he said. “But the negative is my job costs have gone up dramatically.”