Whichever way you look at it, the real estate market is finishing strong as we wrap up 2013!

According to a recent Bloomberg report, several market indicators are showing growth and gains, which is great news for home buyers and home sellers alike!

Today, we’re going to share with you some of the highlights of this recent report. Happy holidays everyone!

US Home Sales

According to the Bloomberg article, purchases of new U.S. homes rebounded during the month of October from the lowest level it’s been in more than a year.

Specifically, home sales of these new homes jumped 25.4 percent to a 444,000 annualized rate. This was only a month after that figure was down to 354,0000, which was the weakest it’s been since April 2012.

Experts say that this signals that home buyers are beginning to adjust to higher mortgage rates.

Aiding this increase in home sales is the fact that there have been employment gains across the board, as well as stock price increases.

Here’s what else the report revealed about national housing market activity:

• Home purchases decreased 6.6 percent in September from a 379,000 annualized pace in August.
• The median home sales price showed a year-over-year decrease of 0.6 percent to $245,800 in October.
• Home purchases rebounded in all four U.S. regions during the month of October
• The biggest increase in home purchases was in the Midwest with a 34 percent increase.
• The supply of homes decreased from 6.4 months to 4.9 months during the month of September
• There were 183,000 new houses on the market by the end of October, which is down from 190,000 during the previous month.
• New construction accounted for about 7 percent of the residential market in 2012.
• Meanwhile, applications for building permits increased by 6.2 percent to a 1.03 million annualized rate, which is the most it’s been since June 2008.
• That’s compared to a September pace of 974,000
• There were 2.13 million previously owned homes for sale by the end of October, which is down from 2.17 million during the month of September.

National Real Estate News at Your Fingertips

As you can see, our national real estate market is becoming more active as residents everywhere become increasingly optimistic about the state of the housing market.

This bodes well for 2014 predictions for the national housing market!

Check back on January 1 as we continue to discuss real estate market activity that affects you!

As real estate experts, we’re always looking for market indicators to suggest whether the market is favoring sellers or buyers.

We look at a variety of factors, including average list price,  median sales price and price per square footage.

Another indicator we look at is the days that a home spent on the market before it ultimately sold. And if the latest data is any indication, this metric is certainly starting to favor home sellers!

Why Home Sellers in the US Should Be Optimistic

According to the most recent real estate data, properties listed in September 2013 spent an average of 86 days on real estate websites, compared with 116 days last year!

This suggests that homes are selling nearly a month quicker than they did this time last year.

Here’s what else the most recent real estate data reveals:

• Properties listed in all 30 of the largest metro areas in the country sold quicker in September when compared to last year.
• Those homes in the San Francisco Bay area were listed for the fewest number of days at 48, followed by Sacramento with 59 days and Dallas with 60 days.
• Comparatively, in 2010, homes listed were on the market an average of 119 days.

Experts say that a declining inventory of homes for sale has attracted more eager buyers to the market, resulting in fewer days on the market for homes for sale.

Historically low mortgage rates, an improving economic climate and depressed home price values are further encouraging this activity.

Canadian Real Estate Market Faring Well Too!

Although data on average days on the market was not immediately available, other real estate indicators suggest that Canada’s real estate market is faring just as well!

Here is some recent encouraging data released by the Canadian Real Estate Association:

• Although the number of newly listed homes decreased by 0.8 percent from September to October, the Canadian housing market remains in balanced territory.
• The national average sale price increased 8.5 percent year-over-year in October.
• The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) increased 3.5 percent year-over-year in October.
• Between September and October, national home sales declined by 3.2 percent.
• Meanwhile, actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity was 8.3 percent higher from October 2012 to October 2013.

The Ultimate Source for Real Estate News

Check back here soon for more updates on how the national real estate markets in the United States and Canada are faring!

And for expert help on your own home-buying or home-selling goals, please contact us today!