Existing-Home Sales Climb in December, But Are Down for Year
Americans purchased more previously owned homes in December, but the increase was less than Wall Street had expected.
Existing-home sales climbed 2.4 percent from November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million, the National Association of Realtors said Friday. Analysts predicted sales to rise to 5.05 million, according to FactSet.
The housing market softened last year after home prices soared far faster than incomes in 2013. Many families, as well as investors, bowed out of the market as a result, sending sales in 2014 down 3.1 percent from a year earlier.
The upcoming spring buying season should provide insight into whether recent solid job growth and falling mortgage rates are enough to revive a sluggish housing recovery.
Lawrence Yun, the Realtors’ chief economist, said there were already signs of improvement in the second half of 2014 “once inventory increased, prices moderated and economic growth accelerated.”
Sales fell from November in the Northeast and the Midwest, but rose 3.8 percent in the South and 9.8 percent in the West.
This article appeared in print in edition of Hamodia.
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