Pending Home Sales Slip

Pending home sales tumbled in June after a slight increase in May, falling 8.6% month-over-month and 20% YOY. The National Association of Realtors’ Pending Home Sales Index posted a reading of 91 last month. A reading of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001. The PSHI is a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings. “Contract signings to buy a home will keep tumbling down as long as mortgage rates keep climbing, as has happened this year to date,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.  “There are indications that mortgage rates may be topping or very close to a cyclical high in July. If so, pending contracts should also begin to stabilize.” Buying a…

Pending Home Sales Tick Up, Breaking Six Month Downward Streak

Pending home sales finally rose in May after six consecutive months of decreases, ticking up a small but significant 0.7%. The National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) posted a reading 99.9 last month. A reading of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001. The PSHI  is a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings. However, year-over-year transactions are down 13.6%. “Despite the small gain in pending sales from the prior month, the housing market is clearly undergoing a transition,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Contract signings are down sizably from a year ago because of much higher mortgage rates.” All four regions saw YOY declines but were split down…

Pending Home Sales Fall For Third Straight Month

Pending home sales continued a three-month streak of declines in January, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported. NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) found contract signings fell 5.7% to 109.5 in January, down 9.5% year-over-year (YOY). Only the West saw any increases, with contract signings rising 1.5% from December to January, but down 9.7% from a year earlier. The Northeast saw the largest annual drop in contract signings, 16.7%, plus a 12.1% drop in the month-to-month numbers, down to 84.3. The Midwest saw a 5.9% drop both monthly and annually, while signings in the South fell 6.3% from December and 8.7% YOY. “With inventory at an all-time low, buyers are still having a difficult time finding a home,” said…

Pending Home Sales Fell In November

Pending home sales dropped 2.2% in November, a 2.7% decrease year-over-year (YOY), according to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI). The PSHI, which predicts home sales based on contract signings for existing homes, fell to 122.4. An index of 100 is equal to signing activity in 2001. “There was less pending home sales action this time around, which I would ascribe to low housing supply, but also to buyers being hesitant about home prices,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.  “While I expect neither a price reduction, nor another year of record-pace price gains, the market will see more inventory in 2022 and that will help some consumers with affordability.” Signings declined in all four…