Tag Archives: For-Sale Homes

Existing-home sales rose 5.9 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million, the highest level since November 2009, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday. Economists had expected the sales pace to improve to 4.9 million. The increase in sales in November was the fourth in the last six months, following a similar pattern from 2011. According to the NAR's data, November existing-home sales--closed transactions--were up 14.5 percent from one year earlier.

Builder confidence continued to improve in December as the Housing Market Index (HMI) rose two points to 47--its highest level since April 2006--the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported Tuesday. It was the eighth straight monthly increase in the index and matched economist expectations. Two of the three components of the index improved--the measures of current sales and buyer traffic--while the gauge of sales six months out slipped one point from the revised November reading of 52 (down from the original 53).

The economy, according to the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, expanded "at a measured pace" in seven of the 12 federal reserve districts--Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco. There was also "a somewhat stronger increase in activity" in Minneapolis and St. Louis. However, Boston and New York showed slower growth and weaker conditions attributable to Hurricane Sandy, and Philadelphia reported "general weakness that was exacerbated" by the storm. According to the Beige Book, business leaders and others "expressed concern and uncertainty about the federal budget, especially the fiscal cliff."

New home sales barely budged in October, dropping 0.3 percent to 368,000 after September's report was revised sharply downward from an original 389,000 to 369,000 the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the report to show a sales pace of 387,000. Even with the slow growth in October, sales are up 17.2 percent from October 2011. However, the year-over-year gain was weaker than the 25.3 percent annual growth reported for September.

Weathering Hurricane Sandy, sales of existing homes increased in October, the National Association of Realtors reported Monday. Total existing-home sales rose 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million in October from a downwardly revised 4.69 million in September. September sales were originally reported at 4.75 million. October home sales are up 10.9 percent over October 2011. The median price of an existing single-family home was $178,600 in October, 11.1 percent ahead of the median price in October 2011, $160,300.

The U.S. housing market "has entered a sustainable period of improving conditions," Pro Teck Valuations CEO Tom O'Grady says in the company's most recent Home Value Forecast. Each of the company's forecasts picks a housing trend and studies its influence on the market. This particular update shines a spotlight on months of remaining inventory (MRI) of new homes listed for sale and examines how that statistic affects median single family home price changes.

The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) rose ever so slightly in September, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday, tempering the much-heralded housing sector revival. The Index inched up to 99.5, an improvement of 0.3 percentage points over August's 99.2. Economists had expected the index to jump 2.5 percent to 101.7.

New home sales jumped 5.7 percent in September to a seasonally adjusted average annualized rate of 389,000, the highest rate since April 2010, the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the report to show a sales pace of 385,000. The month-to-month sales improvement was the strongest since February, when sales improved 27,000, or 8.0 percent. While sales numbers improved, both the median and average sales price of a new home dropped.

The housing sector hit a speed bump in September as existing home sales dipped, the National Association of Realtors revealed Friday. The association reported existing home sales fell 1.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.75 million, the first decline in three months. The median price of an existing home dipped 0.5 percent or $1,000 from August to $183,900, but is up 11.3 percent ($18,600) from September 2011, the strongest year-over-year dollar increase since January 2006.

After reaching a two-year high in July, the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) fell in August to 99.2, the lowest level since April, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Having previously predicted that the index would climb to 102.2, declining numbers in three of four census regions surprised analysts. The slippage in both the PHSI and new home sales dampens the outlook for home sales, but NAR emphasized that the August drop hadn't impacted longer-term trends, with the index up 10.7 percent in the last year.