March saw another increase in pending home sales, with contract activity rising unevenly in six of the past nine months, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
The Pending Home Sales Index (a forward-looking indicator the data of which reflects contracts but not closings which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months), rose 5.1 percent to 94.1 in March from a downwardly revised 89.5 in February. The index is 11.4 percent below 106.2 in March 2010; however, activity was at elevated levels in March and April of 2010 to meet the contract deadline for the home buyer tax credit.
Existing-home sales ( completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops) increased 3.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.10 million in March from an upwardly revised 4.92 million in February, but are 6.3 percent below the 5.44 million pace in March 2010. Sales were at elevated levels from March through June of 2010 in response to the home buyer tax credit.
For the first time in six months, home sales in the 54 U.S. markets surveyed in the RE/MAX National Housing Report are greater than one year ago. The year-to-year sales difference has been improving for three consecutive months. In January it turned positive with a 0.7% increase in sales from January 2010. The trend has been led by several cities experiencing double digit sales growth. Home prices, which have been relatively stable, were 4.6% lower than in January 2010. The inventory of homes for sale continued a downward trend, and is now 5.6% lower than January last year.
Defying the seasonal trend, December home sales rose by 13.2% from November in a survey of 54 metropolitan areas. Home sales dropped 5.0% from December 2009, but this is the lowest year-over-year drop the survey has seen in five months. While some industry analysts continue to predict a serious decline in home prices in the New Year, The RE/MAX National Housing Report, showed home prices dropped by only 2.2% from levels in December 2009. The inventory of homes for sale continued a downward trend, falling 8.8% from November and 2.9% from December 2009.
Data through October 2010, released today by Standard & Poor’s for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, show a deceleration in the annual growth rates in 18 of the 20 MSAs and the 10- and 20-City Composites in October compared to what was reported for September 2010.