Housing starts increase dramatically. (Industry Overview)

The Phoenix housing market ended the year with a bang, setting an optimistic pace for 1992 and shattering previous housing starts for the first time in a decade.

Actual housing starts increased by a full 26 percent in 1991, according to a study by Phoenix-based Landiscor Aerial Photo Inc. "I don't think we've seen that since 1982 or 1983," says Landiscor's Stanley Paul Cook.

Cook expects the number of housing starts to rise in 1992 by as much as 10 to 15 percent over 1991.

Several trends also emerged during the course of the year, according to Landiscor's year-end review.

The West Valley, Cook claims, gained market share at the expense of the …