Existing home sales remain in record territory

|tab|

Sales of existing single-family homes dropped slightly in June, but were still at one of the strongest levels on record, according to statistics released July 25 by the National Association of Realtors. |ret||ret||tab|

Existing-home sales slipped 0.3 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.83 million units from a downwardly revised level of 5.85 million units in May. The annual rate for a particular month represents what the total number of actual sales for a year would be if the relative pace for that month were maintained for 12 consecutive months. Seasonally adjusted annual rates are used in reporting monthly data to factor out seasonal variations in resale activity.|ret||ret||tab|

June's sales activity was 8.6 percent above the 5.37-million unit pace in June 2002, and was tied for the fourth highest month on record. |ret||ret||tab|

Monthly sales rates have been revised going back to 1989 using updated seasonal adjustment factors; there are no changes to annual sales totals or home price data. |ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Interest rates|ret||ret||tab|

David Lereah, NAR's chief economist, said low interest ratesare fueling the market. |ret||ret||tab|

"The strong number of existing-home sales is consistent with high levels of mortgage applications, new home sales and housing starts," he said. "The slight easing of sales in June may reflect some weakness in the labor markets, but historically low mortgage interest rates are helping new households to afford homes and allow existing owners to sell their homes and purchase another. This is the primary reason we expect a new sales record this year."|ret||ret||tab|

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage was a record low 5.23 percent in June, down from 5.48 percent in May; it was 6.65 percent in June 2002.|ret||ret||tab|

NAR President Cathy Whatley, owner of Buck & Buck Inc. in Jacksonville, Fla., said the timing of low interest rates coincides with strong housing demand. |ret||ret||tab|

"Echo boomers the children of the baby boom generation are entering the age for buying a first home," she said. "In fact, four out of 10 buyers are purchasing their first home, which is providing liquidity to sellers that, in turn, boost other sectors of the market."|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Inventory levels|ret||ret||tab|

Housing inventory levels improved at the end of June and rose 5.9 percent from May to a total of 2.5 million existing homes available for sale, which is a 5.1-month supply at the current sales pace.|ret||ret||tab|

The national median existing-home price was $176,500 in June, up 7.7 percent from June 2002 when the median price was $163,900. The median is a typical market price where half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

By region|ret||ret||tab|

Regionally, the existing-home sales pace in the West rose 3.2 percent from May to an annual rate of 1.6 million units in June, and was up 11.1 percent from June 2002. The median existing-home price in the West was $242,600, up 10.1 percent from the same month a year earlier.|ret||ret||tab|

Home resale activity in the South was unchanged in June, holding at an annual rate of 2.29 million units, and was 7.5 percent above a year ago. The median price of an existing home in the South was $166,400, which was 6.7 percent higher than June 2002.|ret||ret||tab|

Homes in the Midwest were reselling at an annual rate of 1.29 million units in June, 3 percent below May but 10.3 percent higher than June 2002. The median price in the Midwest was $147,300, up 7 percent from June 2002.|ret||ret||tab|

Existing-home sales in the Northeast dropped 4.4 percent from May to a pace of 650,000 units in June, but were 3.2 percent above the same month a year earlier. The median existing-home price in the Northeast was $188,900, up 11.9 percent from June 2002.|ret||ret||tab|

[[In-content Ad]]