NAHB Mourns Passing of Former Staff Member Gopal Ahluwalia

Economics
Published

NAHB mourns the passing of Gopal Ahluwalia, a longtime NAHB staff member, on March 3. He was 94.

Ahluwalia served as vice president of research of NAHB for 32 years, overseeing the research, analytical and data needs of the association. He was responsible for the planning, development and analysis of the large volume of data that the organization collected from both primary and secondary sources. He also tracked trends in design, features, products and layout of new homes, as well as smart growth, environmental issues, green building, construction cost, cost of regulations and impact fees.

He continued in the field of home building research after leaving the NAHB, and lent his expertise to many publications and private companies as the owner of GBA Research and Consulting.

“Gopal was a much sought-after industry expert on housing and home building for decades,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “His residential construction research affected millions in terms of home design and the construction plans of NAHB members across the nation.”

“Gopal shared his wisdom and experience enthusiastically, mentoring many of us at the start of our careers,” said Rose Quint, NAHB assistant vice president of survey research. “On our behalf, thank you.”

Ahluwalia lived in Potomac, MD, and is survived by his wife, Brij; his son, Amit, and his wife, Seema; his daughter, Amrita, and her husband, Rudra Rai; and his grandchildren — Mira, Sachi, Neil, Devan, Dev and Leena.

Services will be held Friday and Saturday.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Economics
Sep 08, 2026
How Are Rising Costs Impacting the Cost of Single-Family Homes?

The housing industry is experiencing elevated costs across the board — from land to labor and building materials. NAHB’s Economics team is in the process of measuring how these rising costs impact the cost to build single-family homes. And we need your help.

Advocacy
Sep 04, 2026
National Flood Insurance Program Extended Through Dec. 11

Congress passed a short-term continuing resolution extending funding at current levels for federal programs through Dec. 11.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics
Sep 07, 2026
Shorter Apartment Construction Time in 2025

The average time needed to complete construction of a multifamily building after obtaining authorization edged down in 2025, according to the 2025 Survey of Construction (SOC) from the Census Bureau.

Economics
Sep 04, 2026
Beating Expectations: U.S. Economy Adds 162,000 Jobs in August

The U.S. labor market rebounded in August, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by 162,000 and upward revisions adding 55,000 jobs to June and July. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%, as both employment and the labor force participation rate rose over the month.

Economics
Sep 04, 2026
New vs. Existing Home Prices: What the National Median Misses

In the second quarter of 2026, the national median price for a new single-family home was $410,700, $25,000 lower than the national median price of an existing home, which stood at $435,700.