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US Pending Home Sales Tick Upward in March

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:54:53 +0000

“Contract activity has been in a narrow range in recent months, not from a pause in demand but because of limited supply,” said Realtors chief economist Lawrence Yun in a release. “Little movement is expected in the near-term sales closings, but they should edge up modestly as the year progresses.

(Read More: Despite Rising Demand, Some Builders Slow Production)

Listings were down 17 percent in March from a year earlier, according to the association, with several factors affecting inventories. Millions of Americans still owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth, and that makes it impossible for them to move without incurring major expense.

Others are watching home prices rise and may be waiting to see just how high they go before listing their homes.

Meanwhile, home builders, while trying to ramp up production, are faced with a lack of land, labor and materials. Single-family starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of just 619,000 units, an improvement from the worst of the crash but far below historical norms.

(Read More: Map: Tracking the US Real Estate Recovery)

Regionally, the pending home sales index was unchanged in the Northeast from February, up 0.3 percent in the Midwest, up 2.7 percent in the South and up 1.5 percent in the West.

Existing home sales in March, based on closings, fell just under one percent in March. While higher than a year ago, home sales appear to have leveled off, despite this being the normally busy spring season.

(Read More: Government Mortgage Fix Is Failing)

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100683911

Pending Home Sales Soar Despite Rough Winter

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:11:50 +0000

Banks have been slow to put foreclosed homes up for sale recently, possibly waiting for prices to improve further. While some expected a surge in inventory once home prices began to improve, that so-called “shadow supply,” has yet to emerge. Prices are rising fast, up nearly 7 percent in December from a year ago in the nation’s twenty largest real estate markets, according to the SP/Case Shiller Index. But some would-be sellers may be waiting to see just how high prices move in the coming months, while millions of others are still trapped underwater, owing more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.

Mortgage applications to purchase a home fell 5 percent last week from the previous week and is now at its lowest level since the end of last year, according to a Mortgage Bankers Association weekly survey. Applications historically start to pick up around now, as President’s Day weekend marks the unofficial start of the usually busy spring housing season.

(Read More: Homeowners Rise Above Water on Mortgages)

Regionally, the Realtors’ Pending Home Sales Index in the Northeast rose 8.2 percent in January and is 10.5 percent higher than January 2012. In the Midwest the index increased 4.5 percent and is 17.7 percent above a year ago. Pending home sales in the South rose 5.9 percent and are 11.3 percent higher January 2012. In the West the index edged up 0.1 percent in January but is 1.5 percent below a year ago. Supplies of homes for sale are most limited in the West, where investors have been buying distressed properties in bulk.