"Immigrants typically provide an initial stimulus to rental markets for their first few years in the U.S. After becoming established in the U.S, they become a major factor in the for-sale marketplace," Carliner said at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recent Construction Forecast Conference. "Since the 2000 Census, it appears that immigration has accelerated, with a net of about 1.5 million new immigrants coming to this country annually since the beginning of this decade."

NAHB forecasts of populations and household formations project a net flow up to 1.7 million foreign-born people coming to this country every year between 2002 and 2012, with labor demands created by the retirement of baby boomers likely to provide economic and political influences supporting immigration. Because of the demographic changes projected for the next decade, the long-term outlook for single-family home construction is expected to be more favorable than during the past decade.