Tag Archives: Home Sales

In Fannie Mae's housing survey for January, consumers maintained their expectation for growth in home and rent prices and also expressed more optimism toward the economy. The January 2013 survey found 41 percent of consumers believe homes prices will rise in the next 12 months, down from 43 percent in December, but up from 30 percent a year ago. As prices continue to climb, more consumers also said now is a good time to sell. The percentage rose to 23 percent in January, up from 21 percent in December and 11 percent a year ago.

On a national level, January home prices increased 5.4 percent from a year ago, but fell flat on a quarterly basis after inching up by just 0.9 percent, Clear Capital reported. Out of the four regions, the West maintained its lead with yearly gains and quarterly gains of 12.9 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. The remaining three regions all saw price increases of less than 1 percent quarter-over-quarter. Dr. Alex Villacorta, director of research and analytics at Clear Capital, explained the softened quarterly gains suggest ""the budding recovery is not immune to the slower winter season.""

The low supply of housing stock recently reported is giving Capital Economics reason to believe home price forecasts under 5 percent are actually conservative estimates. Realtors in December expected prices to rise by about 3.5 percent over the next year, while consumer estimates were more modest at 2.5 percent for the same time period, according to a monthly housing report from the firm. But, with the low supply of inventory, Capital Economics anticipates much bigger gains in the future.

While the national trend shows home prices are rising and the supply of foreclosures is shrinking, on a more microscopic level, there are still metros where investors can find foreclosures at steep discounts and in greater abundance. RealtyTrac compiled a list of the 20 best (and worst) metro areas to buy foreclosures in 2013. RealtyTrac ranked Palm Bay, Florida as the No. 1 metro for foreclosure purchases. From 2011 to 2012, the metro saw foreclosure activity increase 308 percent, and it has a 34 months' supply of foreclosure inventory. Five other Florida metros were represented on the top 20 list.

In general, the most popular times of year for online home searches are at the start of the year and in the summer, according to the Trulia Real Estate Search Report released Wednesday. However, Trulia reveals some fluctuation across the country with a major tendency for online searches to peak when the weather is warm and dry. Overall, December is the slowest state for online searches, according to Trulia's data. Understanding these statewide trends can benefit both buyers and sellers, according to Jed Kolko, chief economist for Trulia.

After experiencing a downturn, spending on home improvement may finally register an increase in 2012, with the market appearing to be ""poised for a solid rebound,"" according to a recent report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. The Joint Center estimates spending on home improvement rose 9 percent in 2012 after falling in previous years. The study found that as the housing market improves, the homes that burdened the economy are now being renovated.

The nation's homeownership rate (seasonally adjusted) dipped to 65.4 percent in the fourth quarter from 65.5 percent in the third quarter, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. At 65.4 percent--the same level as the first quarter--the homeownership rate is at its lowest level since the first quarter of 1997 when the rate was also 65.4 percent. The homeownership rate peaked at 69.2 percent in Q2 2004. The Census Bureau also reported the homeowner vacancy rate remained at 1.9 percent in the fourth quarter.

The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) fell 4.3 percent to 101.7 in December, the sharpest month-month drop since April the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Monday. Economists had expected a smaller 0.3 percent decrease to 106.1 from November's originally reported 106.4. The November index was revised down to 106.3. NAR economist Lawrence Yun blamed a tight inventory for the weakening index. Yun also noted the lack of homes costing less than $100,000, especially in the West.

Two housing reports in the week just demonstrated, yet again, economists are not infallible. On Tuesday, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported existing home sales for December: 4.94 million against a consensus forecast of 5.1 million. Then on Friday, the Census Bureau and HUD reported jointly 369,000 new homes were sold in December compared with a consensus forecast of 388,000. There are several important housing related reports due out next week, but they will take a backseat to the report on fourth quarter GDP and Friday's report on the employment situation.

Winter weather did not slow down the housing market's momentum, with homebuyer traffic still going strong in December, according to survey results from Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey. The three homebuyer groups--current homeowners, first-time homebuyers and investors--all recorded their biggest traffic gains of 2012 in December, data from the HousingPulse survey revealed. The survey also measured the relative health of the housing market by assessing time on market, number of offers, closed transactions, and sales prices. Overall, survey data revealed all measures improved at the end of 2012.