NATIONALLY, HOME SALES RISE! But High Inventory, Interest Rates Keep Housing Market Sluggish!
DESPITE PLENTIFUL INVENTORY, MANY BUYERS CAN'T GET APPROVED FOR FINANCING!
Here's the good news, and here's the bad news!
Sales of existing homes rose 3.1% for July, 2008, versus June - to an annualized rate of 5 Million Units, from 4.86 Million Units the prior month. However, the national inventory of homes for sale increased 3.9%, to 4.67 Million - an all-time record! The National Association of Realtors pegs the inventory at an 11.2 month supply - nearly double the approximate 6-month "balanced inventory" level.
Here in Chicago, in the North and Northwest Side Neighborhoods we serve most often, recent inventory levels exceeded 28 months! (See our latest Chicago IL Real Estate Stats Pack for more data).
Data from the latest S & P/Case-Shiller Index of Home Prices indicates a drop in Chicago Metro Area Home Prices of 9.5% through the end of June, 2008, from last year. These dropping prices may be further holding back home sales, as many buyers are still waiting on the sidelines for prices to drop even more.
Other buyers would like to purchase, but can't get approved for financing, as lenders have considerably tightened their standards for financing a home.
Although basic supply and demand economics suggests rising inventories would drive down home prices, many experts feel prices have to fall back even more for demand to strengthen, and prices to stabilize.
As we mentioned, mortgage money is getting tougher and tougher to find, as lenders and Private Mortgage Insurance Companies have increased credit score and down payment requirements.
To make matters worse, the Chicago Metro Area, as well as many other metros across the U.S., are defined as "Declining Markets" by PMI Companies. Often, at the last minute before the closing, buyers are often asked to come with an additional 5% down payment as a "Declining Market Premium".
A flagging U.S. Economy and weakened employment picture is adding to housing market woes. Non-farm monthly payroll figures have fallen seven consecutive months. All the while, average 30-year fixed mortgage rates had crept up to 6.43% at the end of July, versus a 6.32% average fixed interest rate at the end of June.
Sales rose considerably in several regions of the U.S. at the end of July. Unit sales rose 5.9% in the Northeast, and 9.7% in the West. Some think this might be due to the very high level of distressed or foreclosed property being sold at a discount in these areas. Sales fell in the South by 0.5%, and rose 0.9% here in the Midwest as of the end of July.
For more information, read Kelly Evans article in today's Wall Street Journal. See Kelly's article discussing the latest S & P/Case-Shiller Home Price index, as well as a sortable chart showing the index by Metro Market Area.
DEAN MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
