Tag Archives: Home Sales

A new report from Realtor.com shows listing inventories increased by 1.15 percent month-over-month in February, while median list price rose 1.55 percent.

RE/MAX's latest report shows home sales rose 0.9 percent month-over-month and 2.3 percent year-over-year. The median home price also increased, rising to $160,500--3.5 percent above January and 7.0 percent above February 2012. RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly said today's low prices and low interest rates create "an attractive combination that most of us will never see again in our lifetimes." Meanwhile, inventory remains a major concern as the spring selling season dawns.

House prices increased 9.7 percent year-over-year in January, continuing a recent trend, and prices show "no signs of an imminent slowdown," according to Capital Economics.

As the industry prepares to implement the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) new ability-to-repay rules, Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth Duke warns new consumer protections may come at a cost to the industry as lower-quality-credit borrowers are precluded from the housing market. As the broader economy continues to improve, household formation will increase, according to Duke, "but if credit is hard to get, these will be rental rather than owner-occupied households."

Strong demand, tight inventory, and positive signs among broader economic indicators led Capital Economics to revise its previous price gain forecast up to 8 percent.

Nearly half of respondents in Fannie Mae's most recent housing survey said they expect home prices to rise in the next 12 months, up from 45 percent in January.

Zillow saw a 16.6 percent decline in its overall number of listed homes in February, indicating an inventory crunch as buyers start to feel more comfortable getting into the market.

While more than 90 percent of homes purchased in 2011 were existing homes, more than half of homebuyers declared a preference for new homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Characteristics of Home Buyers, an analysis of the 2011 American Housing Survey conducted by the Census Bureau. Along with their preference for new homes, survey respondents expressed a desire for energy-efficient homes. According to NAHB, these two qualities go hand-in-hand.

Buyer demand continues to climb as 2013 marches on, according to results in Redfin's most recent Real-Time Demand Pulse.

Increased profits at home improvement outlets underscore Fitch Ratings' view that the housing recovery is in its early stages.