After six straight months of declines, the number of existing-home sales crept back up in October, according to the latest data from The National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Total existing-home sales are defined as completed transactions that include singe-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops that are already built; i.e., not new construction. The number of these home sales increased 1.4 percent from September to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.22 million last month. Sales remain lower on a year-over-year basis with sales down 5.1 percent. What’s behind the trend? NAR’s Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says greater housing inventory has brought more
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Pending home sales increased 0.5 percent in September with substantial gains in both the West and Midwest regions, according to the latest information from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, increased 0.5 percent to 104.6 in September from 104.1 in August. Despite the small month-over-month improvement, contact signings continued to drop on an annual basis. September marked the ninth consecutive month of annual declines. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says that although we’re seeing year-over-year decreases, the latest monthly gain indicates a good, stabilizing trend. “This shows that
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