Numbers have steadily declined from 40 in July, 36 in August, and 31 in September to only 25 last month.
In October, 15 permits were issued in unincorporated Cobb County, six were issued in Smyrna, four were issued in Acworth and no permits were issued in the cities of Austell, Kennesaw, Marietta and Powder Springs.
Year to date, 309 permits have been issued in unincorporated Cobb and the six cities. That is less than half of the 677 permits that were issued during the same time period last year, and a 93 percent decline from the 4,712 permits issued in the same 10 months in 2004.
John Elliott, of John Elliott Homes in Marietta, said with home building being at a near standstill, there is less inventory on the market; therefore, homes are selling at a better rate.
"There are less homes available because there are so few starts," he said. "So those homes that have needed to be sold are finally coming off the market."
Elliott said, "It's hard to say when the market will turn around completely ... but we have seen a slow increase in the overall market during the past few months. So the numbers (for new housing permits) may not necessarily reflect good news, but the market is picking up."
Russell Ives, president and owner of Custom Dwellings in Marietta, said the low number of houses being built is mainly a result of the large number of foreclosed homes that keep coming up in the market.
"There are so many existing homes and foreclosures for sale that the market is flooded," Ives said. "The banks can discount the price enormously, but a builder can't really discount a new home."
Ives said the remodeling portion of his company has steadily increased, probably because people are deciding to stay in their homes, but still wanting a change.
"I think it will take one to two years for the new housing market to really pick up, once the foreclosures come off of the market," Ives said.
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