Tag Archives: Home Sales

Home sales last month were down 5.2 percent year-over-year in 53 of the country's biggest markets, RE/MAX said this week in its latest National Housing Report. The drop, which the company said is normal for this time of the year, followed gains of 0.9 percent in September and 2.6 percent in October—the only two months so far this year to have seen year-over-year improvements.

In its last outlook of the year, Freddie Mac looked back at five key consensus predictions for 2014, how they fared, and how they will affect housing and the economy next year. In addition to home sales, the four other areas examined were mortgage originations, home values, rental market, and mortgage rates.

In its latest forecast, Wells Fargo's Economics Group cited a number of reasons optimistic housing market predictions for next year, namely easing of credit, job and income growth, and mortgage rates near their lowest levels in a generation.

Statewide, sales of single-family homes increased 7.0 percent annually in October to a total of 2,379, the Warren Group reported this week. It was the best October sales figure since 2007, when transactions totaled 2,605. The year-to-date sales total came closer to catching up to last year, coming to 21,546—a decline of less than 1 percent.

Cash sales accounted for 34.8 percent of total home sales, CoreLogic reported, down from 37.2 percent in September 2013. The share of cash sales has fallen annually every month since January 2013. Before the start of the housing crisis, the cash sales share of total homes averaged nearly 25 percent.

Sales of single-family homes in Rhode Island increased by 3.2 percent in October from the previous year, the fifth time in 2014 single-family home sales have increased year-over-year in the state, according to a report released Monday by the Warren Group.

In keeping with other recently released predictions, the latest housing forecast from market research firm IHS Global Insight calls for modest growth in home sales in 2015 following what's been a disappointing year. In her outlook, IHS economist Stephanie Karol focuses on two major trends that have shaped the housing market in 2014.

Among its five largest predictions for next year, Realtor.com expects first-time buyers will return to the market in full force after years of retrenchment that has dampened the recovery of the housing market. This push will be led by millennials, now settling into their families, careers, and 30s, who are eager to buy into the American dream.

Nationwide, home sales fell 1.2 percent in the third quarter compared to the same period last year, the brokerage said in a recent report. Sales have been down year-over-year for every quarter so far in 2014. At the same time, sales of homes priced at at least $1 million continued to lift, rising 9 percent over the past year.

Single-family home sales in the state totaled 4,404 in October, marking a 1.4 percent increase over October 2013's total of 4,345, the Boston-based Warren Group reported recently. It was the first annual increase since June.