Economic Reports, Market Insight, Real Estate
Pending Home Sales Up – Stronger Spring Market Ahead
February 3, 2010 by James K Barath, CMPS · Leave a Comment
The Pending Home Sales Index rose slightly in December, climbing 1 percent from November.
A Pending Home Sale is a home that is under contract to sell, but not yet sold. It’s a figure compiled by the National Association of Realtors® using sales data from over 100 regional listing services and more than 60 large brokerages around the country.
Because each pending sale is a true measure of sales activity, the Pending Home Sales Index is purported to be the most reliable forward-looking indicator for housing in Northwest Indiana.
Recent data supports this hypothesis.
After Pending Home Sales plunged 16 percent in November, Existing Home Sales fell by 17 percent in December. Based on the most recent Pending Sales Index, therefore, we can expect January’s closed sales to be similarly level.
For home buyers in Chesterton, Crown Point, Highland, Munster, Portage, Saint John, Schererville and Valparaiso , this is all a bit of good news. Home prices are based on the supply-and-demand balance that exists between buyers and sellers in Northwest Indiana. When buyers outnumber sellers, like they did through most of 2009, home supplies dip and, in fact, the national home inventory nearly halved during the 12 months ending November 2009.
With fewer homes for sale, multiple-offer situations were commonplace and home values rose as result.
Activity has since slowed, however, and fewer buyers are in today’s market. The supply-and-demand equation has shifted back some. In December, home supplies rose for the first time in 7 months and January will likely show the same.
The net result: Home buyers have more homes from which to choose and that can create negotiation leverage for better prices and better concessions.
With mortgage rates still low in Northwest Indiana and a looming deadline on the homebuyer’s tax credit, market activity should be strong between now and April. Take your time and bid right. And when you’re ready, be ready. The best deals likely won’t last.
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About the Author: James K Barath is a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist, qualified liability advisor and your FHA Home Loan Expert. He is also a graduate of Purdue University, The CMPS Institute, Dale Carnegie Human Relations Course & Napoleon Hill Foundation's PMA Science of Success Class. It's your home and your future. It's his profession and his passion. He is ready to work for your best interest. Contact James Barath today for your Borrow Smart Analysis - the CALM Approach to Borrowing ! His Motto: I Facilitate the American Dream Through Responsible Mortgage Lending and Financial Literacy! 
