Table of Contents
ToggleDecline in pending house sales in May
Prime home prices and inflated mortgages are keeping potential consumers away from the housing market.
According to data from the National Association of Realtors, pending home sales – a forward-looking indicator of home sales according to word signing – declined 2.1% in May from the previous year. They fell 6.6% year-on-year, data from Immun showed on Thursday.
The Midwest and South posted a Shed in Word signing to mark the occasion in May. Gains were recorded in the Northeast and West. Losses in the process were recorded on an annual basis in all sectors across the country.
“The market is at an interesting point with rising inventory and low demand,” NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said in an observation. “Supply and demand movements suggest that house price increases will moderate in the coming months. Essentially, more inventory in a job-creating economy will lead to more home buying, especially when mortgage rates fall.
Loan rates are at their lowest in three months, but that is still not enough to woo consumers. According to Goldman Sachs data, approximately 95% of loan borrowers have interest rates below wave market rates, and approximately 80% have rates more than 2 percentage points below market rates.
Looking ahead, Yun expects “mortgage rates will remain modestly low, home sales will increase and home prices will stabilize.”