Housing Market Updates

Homeownership: The Real Story Behind The Headlines
The big housing news this week is that the homeownership rate has dropped to 63.4% which represents the lowest rate in 48 years. That news definitely is making headlines. Yet, to fully understand what this means we have to look at the story that created these headlines.

Pending Home Sales Reach Highest Mark In 9 Years!
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently released their Pending Home Sales Index Report and revealed that it is at its highest level since April 2006.
The Pending Home Sales Index is “a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings”. The higher the Pending Home Sales Index number, the more contracts have been signed by buyers that will soon translate to sales.
Every region of the country has experienced year-over-year gains in pending sales as seen below:

Housing Update: Demand Up, Supply Down, Prices Increasing
Earlier this week, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their latest quarterly report. The report covered three important aspects of the housing market:
- Buyer Demand
- Supply of Housing Inventory
- Single Family Residential Prices