Home construction is booming at a rapid pace across the Austin region — but it's still not fast enough to keep up with torrid demand, builders and local housing market experts say. Builders started work on 6,664 new homes in the first three months of this year, a 45 percent increase over the same time last year, and construction began on 23,450 homes during the 12 months that ended in March, a 22% increase from the previous 12-month total.