Tag Archives: Pending Home Sales

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. The NAR noted though the PHSI was up 14.5 percent since September 2011, the 17th straight month of year-over-year increases.

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 HUD reported Wednesday. 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 month-to-month. Sales were still up 27.1 percent from September 2011, the strongest year-over-year gain since February.

The housing sector hit a speed bump in September as existing home sales dipped, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. 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 was down 0.5 percent from August to $183,900, but the median price was up 11.3 percent from September 2011, the strongest year-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, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday. Analysts had expected the index to rise to 102.2. The index fell in three of the four Census regions. PHSI data are generally reflected in the report on existing home sales two months out, meaning the August PHSI points to weaker homes sales reported for October.

In another positive sign for the housing sector, the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) rose 2.4 percent in July to 101.7, its highest level since April 2010, the National Association of Realtors reported Wednesday. Economists had expected a 1.0 percent increase to 100.3.

After seeing some of the worst of the housing crash, Florida is continuing its steady bounce back, Florida Realtors reported Wednesday. According to the group, the Sunshine State saw increases in pending sales, closed sales, and median prices in July, while inventory of homes and condos for sale dropped.

In another sign the housing sector may be languishing again —the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) dipped 1.4 percent in June to 99.3 from a downwardly revised 100.7 in May, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday. Economists had expected a 0.9 percent increase to 101.6. Prior to the recent drops, the PHSI had been rising steadily until April. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, blamed a lack of inventory for the drop in the index.

Home sales and prices picked up for Florida in June, according to housing data released by Florida Realtors. The organization's report shows a 5.3 percent year-over-year increase in closed single-family home sales in the Sunshine State, while pending sales jumped up 31 percent. Year-to-date, closed and pending sales are up from 2011 by 2.3 percent and 19.3 percent, respectively.

The median price of an existing single family home rose in June to the highest level since almost four years, the fifth straight month-month gain, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Thursday.. The median price was up 7.9 percent from June 2011. Existing home sales dropped to 4.37 million in June to the lowest level since last October, the NAR said. It was the fourth drop in the last five months. Economists had expected the sales pace to increase to 4.65 million from 4.62 million in May.

The California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) reported today that, although pending home sales in the state fell from March to April, other statistics indicate a good start for the housing market. C.A.R.'s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) fell from a revised 138.9 in March to 128.0 in April. This index was nearly 14 points higher than the revised 114.4 index from April 2011, marking the 12th consecutive month that pending sales were higher year-over-year. Pending home sales figures are often used as an indicator of the market's future direction.