ROGERS — Tim Boudrey said he thinks it is time to start building single-family homes again.

Construction of family homes plummeted during the economic crisis. Boudrey’s new subdivision, Warren Glenn South, is the first new single-family subdivision to go before the Rogers Planning Commission since 2007.

A request to rezone 15.6 acres from agriculture to residential single-family housing for Warren Glenn South goes before the Planning Commission on Tuesday.

The subdivision is in southwest Rogers, south of West Drive.

Boudrey’s company, Landmarc Custom Homes, built homes in the Warren Glenn subdivision.

“We are in a unique position. We have run out of lots, and no one is developing any new territory. To build the homes we want, we have to start a new subdivision,” Boudrey said of Warren Glenn South.

“We built on all the lots available in Warren Glenn; this will be an extension of that subdivision. The majority of homes will be about 3,000 square feet, and cost between $300,000 and $350,000. We think the market is good for at least the next two or three years for that type of home,” Boudrey said.

Landmarc has been in business 10 years, working through good and bad markets, Boudrey said.

“We had a couple of rough years when the bottom of the market fell out, but we were able to keep building some houses. We had steady work, just not as much as the heyday in 2005,” Boudrey said.

“I think the market is rebounding. I don’t think it will ever be like it was a before the downturn, but it’s looking a lot better,” Boudrey said.

Experts said housing sales have increased for the past 12 months as the area economy slowly rebounds from the recession.

“The housing market has turned around substantially since 2007,” said Kathy Deck, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.

About 25 subdivisions were platted, but never active, when the bottom fell out of the housing market, Deck said.

“That doesn’t count the 3,279 lots platted in Washington and Benton counties with one or two homes in a subdivision,” she said.

Building permits for single-family housing has doubled in the past year, according to university figures, and the inventory of previously owned homes is decreasing as well, real estate experts said.

“The inventory of existing homes is lighter now that it was two years ago. Our sales are on an upward trend,” said Jim Snodgrass, an agent with Crye-Leike Realtors.

Home prices that began drifting downward in 2007 are rising again, Snodgrass said.

“This area wasn’t hit as hard as other areas of the United States, but local prices did drop during the worst of the downturn. We are seeing the price of homes beginning to increase again and that’s a good sign the market is recovering,” Snodgrass said.

The number of building permits being issued in Rogers indicated a small housing building boom is under way.

Through April, 152 single-family housing permits were issued in Rogers. Ten more had been issued in May through noon Thursday.

“And the day isn’t over,” said Stephanie Feist, administrative assistant in the city’s building and inspection office, which issues building permits. “It’s been very busy this year so far, much busier than the past few years.”

Single-family home construction in other cities is also increasing, permits indicate.

Bentonville officials issued 160 permits for single-family homes through the end of April. Last year, the city issued 136 permits in April, officials said.

Fayetteville issued 98 single-family building permits through April, down slightly from the 106 permits issued during the same period last year, officials said.

Springdale developers purchased 57 single-family home permits January through April 2012. Through April 2013, 73 permits had been issued, Springdale officials said.

Deck said she isn’t surprised a new subdivision is in the pipeline in Rogers.

“It makes sense development would pick up as the economy improves. After the crash, bankers and developers backed away from the single-family market. Bankers shut down the flow of easy mortgage loans. It was more difficult to get a loan even with low interest rates,” Deck said.

Interest rates remain low and although housing prices are climbing, but there are still bargains, Deck said.

“The housing market in Northwest Arkansas has turned around. I doubt that it will ever be as wild as it was in 2005 and that’s probably good, but the market is recovering and people are buying new and previously owned homes again,” Deck said.

Jennifer Hauffaker, an agent with Griffin Realtors, said the market is better than it has been in six years.

“I had a great year last year and I’m selling three to four new or existing homes a month this year. There is a shortage of $150,000 homes and below, they sell almost as quick as they hit the market. One house in that range sold in a couple of hours after it went on the market,” Hauffaker said.

“Is this the beginning of another house boom? I wouldn’t go that far,” said Derrel Smith, Rogers senior planner.

“New houses are being built at a faster clip than previous years, but it’s not the way it was from 2000 to 2005. There is plenty of room to grow, but I think growth will be more reasonable, around 3 percent to 4 percent, not double digits,” Smith said.