Tag Archives: Home Sales

Annual home price and sales gains continued their streak in June, increasing on a yearly basis for the 17th straight month, according to RE/MAX's monthly housing report.

Citing improvements in manufacturing, tourism, commercial and residential real estate and in the financial sector, the Federal Reserve said the nation's economy continued to increase at a modest to moderate pace from late May through early July.

Despite soaring builder confidence, new housing permits and starts fell in June, with new construction falling to the lowest level in 10 months, the Census Bureau and HUD reported Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of new housing permits tumbled 7.5 percent--the largest month-over-month decline since January 2011--while starts fell 9.9 percent, the second-largest drop since February 2011. Builders completed homes at an annual adjusted pace of 755,000 in June, 6.3 percent more than May.

Market participants reacting to speculation that the Federal Reserve may taper its bond purchases later this year should refrain from acting too hastily, Freddie Mac says in its U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook for July. According to Freddie Mac's metrics, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has jumped a full percentage point since mid-May as "taper talk" rules the day. Rates are expected to gradually move higher, closing out 2013 in the range of 4.6 to 4.7 percent.

After surging in June, the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Housing Market Index (HMI)--a measure of builder confidence--shot up again in July, climbing six points to 57, its highest reading since January 2006, the group reported Tuesday. The two-month 13-point gain was the strongest two-month increase since January-February 1992, when the index improved 14 points. All three of the HMI components increased for the third month in a row.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) took a look at Generation Y's browsing and purchasing habits to determine how their presence will affect the industry.

May was a strong month for home sales in Connecticut, the Warren Group reported. According to the group, sales in the state rose 2.9 percent year-over-year to 2,356. It was the highest number of transactions recorded for the month since May 2010 and the first time since January that sales volume increased on a yearly basis.

According to a survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, a huge majority of brokers in the region observed an increase in sales in May, with 40 percent saying numbers were up "slightly" over last year and another 44 percent saying sales were up "significantly." Builders also indicated sales were stronger than last year, with 38 percent reporting slight increases and 33 reporting significant improvements. However, builders noted that sales growth had slowed from April.

In concurrence with many industry analysts, real estate agents expect price gains to mellow in the near future, according to survey results released by Redfin. Eighty-six percent of agents believe prices will rise over the next few months. However, while a majority of agents expect price gains, a minority expect prices to "rise a lot." The percent of agents who anticipate prices rising "a lot" in coming months fell from 44 percent in the first quarter to just 16 percent in the second quarter, according to Redfin's survey.

April home sales in Connecticut dropped on a yearly basis for the third straight month as prices continued to ascend, the Warren Group reported.