Chicago Home Sales Activity for the Third Quarter, 2008: The Chicago Home Buzz

Beware of summaries. They are for losers. Beware of the pessimist or the optimist. Look for the micro-economist in your neighborhood. This is an historic time in our national economy and it really is incredible to watch since it is directly affecting each and every one of us. General summaries and market data are for losers and we frown on them. Why? Real estate operates in a local economy. Block by block, street by street, subdivision by subdivision. One street could be booming and the next street busting. Beware the pessimists or the optimists. Look for the micro-economist in your neighborhood. Look at our median sales summary in our Chicago Home Buzz report: Median prices up almost 25%! Wow! This economy is doing great! Read on…summary points of view are worthless such as our summary used as an example of skewed data. The media in their infinitely diluted viewpoint continues to under report (or over sensationalize) the actual state of the real estate market. To their defense, it is impossible to write detailed reporting on the market because the real estate market operates on both a macro and micro level. Even when you get down to what you think is a micro-level, Gold Coast goes and screws everything up! The real estate macro-economic condition is obviously just as important to each of us as what is happening in our back yards as evident by the turmoil in the markets. I’ll refrain from getting into details about why we are where we are but needless to say “A” grade securities which included junk, sub-prime mortgages (mortgages given to people who had no right getting a loan) were traded on Wall Street and across the global market at a hugely profitable speed and no regulator or moderator or Hedge Fund manager wanted that gravy train to stop. Trillions were made just as trillions were just lost in these past few weeks. That said, let’s focus on what the crux of this Chicago Market report is about. Our LOCAL MICRO-ECONOMY. Chicago as compared to national indexes is doing well in many areas, and not so well in others. Our report focuses on the north side of Chicago with a focus on SINGLE FAMILY homes in the Fall Quarter, 2008 compared with Fall Quarter, 2007. Median Price Activity for the Third Quarter, 2008 in Chicago: Taking the Gold Coast/Loop out of the equation, median sales prices for the quarter dropped almost 14% to $412,444 down from $470,141 in 2007. If you add that area back in there is actually a 24.4% increase in median price, but that is because the single-family home median sales price had a few large transactions pushing the median price for the entire North Section up. All other areas showed a decline of median prices compared with last year with the WEST area leading the decline with an average 85% price drop on sales from $228,867 down to only $123,481. This is in large part due to the number of foreclosures leading the sales in this area. West Garfield Park led the decline in a staggering display of depreciation for the area with 5 units sold (up from only 3 in 2007) but a drop in median price from $189,000 down to a paltry $12,500, a 93% decline in median price. North Lawndale (down 78%), East Garfield Park (down 73%) and Humbolt Park (down 53%) were among the area leaders of decline in value. On the positive side, once again one of my HEAVY BULLISH neighborhoods (for condos, multi-unit or single-family investments) continues to be Lakeview in the LAKESHORE area. Median Prices saw a whopping 15% INCREASE from $1,041,250 up to $1,200,000 (average prices too saw an increase up 13%). Rogers Park too saw an unexpected increase in median price single-family homes up 11% from the previous quarter with a median sales price of $456,000. The bad news there was it took an increased market time average of 279 days UP 862% from 2007’s short 29 day market average. The leading declining area for the quarter was Uptown , West Ridge and Lincoln Square (down 21%, 18% and 17% ) for the area. Overall however, the Lakeshore section was down 5% for the quarter. Very little good news for the NORTHWEST section with the area prices down 18% from a median sale price of $387,450 to $329,357. The good news was the area saw good sales volume in units (there are deals to be had). The NORTH CENTRAL section saw Avondale and Albany Park leading area decliners down 30% and 23% but West Town (Wicker Park/Ukranian Village) saw a 5% increase in median price up to $727,000 for a median price home up from $690,000 last year. Bucktown/Logan Square too saw a slight uptick in median prices to $693,000 from $670,000 last year (average prices jumped 15% to $804,804 from $702,666 last year). Unit Activity: Total units sold is down only 70 units across the North Section (-8.5%). The NORTHWEST section of the city is only showing 3% less units sold down from 296 to 286. In that same section, Norwood Park saw a 15% jump in sales from 54 units up to 62 and Dunning saw a significant uptick from 56 units sold in 2007 to 70 this quarter, 2008. However, some losers on units sold were Edison Park with a whopping 48% decline in units sold down to 14 units from 27 in 2007 and Jefferson Park down almost 30% from 45 units to only 32 this past quarter. Moving to the CENTRAL area, Avondale saw a whopping 183 increase in units sold up from 6 in 2007 to 17 in 2008 but the area saw an overall decline of 5% for the quarter. The WEST section saw an overall drop of 12% but areas like Belmont Cragin and Humbolt Park where single-family homes abound saw significant drops in unit volume down 30% and 13% respectively. The NORTH section dropped from 179 units to 170 however, the big news there is Avondale (while median prices are down 30%) saw a 183% increase in units sold from 6 to 17 with people most likely taking advantage of the buyers market and finding those deals which are out there. Summaries are for losers. We already know there are pockets (and even pockets within the pockets we are reporting) where there are signs of growth in this dismal market. Overall for the City on the North section market times were longer (up 27.46%) to 185 days with no one area really better than the other. Uptown was the only neighborhood that saw an average market time below 100 at 93 days (down 36% from 2007). However, taking the skewed Gold Coast out of the microscope we can get a better glimpse of the actual numbers for the quarter. Total units sold were down 7.7% from 870 to 808. The median sales price dropped almost 14% with a few exceptions such as Uptown, Bucktown/Logan Square and West Town/Wicker Park which all showed a positive gain in median sales price compared to 3rd quarter 2007. If we do add the Gold Coast back in to the report we are really looking at a very positive gain in median prices for the quarter up 24.39%.

Beware of summaries. They are for losers. Beware of the pessimists or the optimists.

Look for the micro-economist in your neighborhood.

Lincoln Park Landmark Battle

Have you heard there may be a top-down authorization (law passed) in Lincoln Park which may force all properties in certain areas to be labeled "landmarked" whose purpose is to preserve the original older properties 'with character' while also attempting to decrease the amount of demolition going on to make way for the mega mansions which have been going up over the past decade.

This would have a huge impact on development and construction in the area not to mention a 'regular' homeowner who is interested in a renovation or addition. Both would see costs soar and the impact on property value would be significant.

Lincoln Park is one of the few areas that has benefited from the construction of these larger single family homes so much that an average tear down in the area is as high as $1.1 million since what is driving the land value are the ceilings of the new developments averaging around $3.3 million.

I am all for preserving the fabric for those who choose to keep and maintain the vintage structures within our community, but when large areas are forced to be considered landmarked to prevent a few buildings from moving aside to keep the developments and new single-family homes coming, I wonder to what end this purpose serves.

Where we really need regulation is on the design pallet of some of these new houses (here and throughout the city). I have no idea how some of thise ugly monstrosities are being built but let's police the general facade improvements and not limit the development opportunities which are significantly improving the land values in our neighborhood

Hold the Press. Are Rates that Low?

Syndicated columnist, Lou Barnes has hit the nail on the head regarding how inflated media coverage of the current downclick in rate adjustments have been and how I as a realtor have to coach my clients about how the Feds rate reduction really has no major effect on mortgage rates but more so on short term interest rates like car loans, home equity loans and credit card loans.

Rates have dropped a bit but they are back up to 5.75% and my advice is still to wait and see on the refi decision after more economic news is seen and if you've got a place your interested in purchasing and the loan calculations are within your comfortable means then by all means, make that purchase.

Here is the full article from Inman News:

Commentary: Average rates on mortgages unchanged in recent surveys

Friday, February 01, 2008

By Lou Barnes

Contrary to the conviction of deeply confused civilians and reports by lazy news media, mortgage rates are unchanged, about 5.75 percent for the lowest-fee 30-year paper.
If you don't believe me, visit http://www.freddiemac.com/ and its weekly survey. It is unbiased by sales jive, although it suffers from "survey lag" (early-week data released on Thursdays always misses real-time reality), and assumes a fractional origination fee. Last week's "5.48 percent" captured the one-day hysterical bottom when the industry could not log onto rate-lock Web sites. Yesterday's "5.68 percent plus 0.4 percent origination" is still about right, and all but identical to the prior week's "5.69 percent plus 0.5 percent."

Yet, the media refer constantly to "dramatically lower mortgage rates." They are better, but ... drama? Freddie's average for the whole of 2007 was 6.34 percent. A half-percent drop is nice for buyers, and a help to a few refinancers, but no fire sale.

"How can it be the same ... !?!" says the client, after a cumulative 1.25 percent cut at the Fed in only eight days? Answers follow.

Brand-new January economic data are not that bad. They're not bad enough to justify the Fed's panic, let alone to anticipate more cuts. Payroll growth slipped to flat in January (negative 17,000 is within the huge range of error and revision), unemployment down to 4.9 percent in a workforce statistical quirk -- soft, but hardly a recession. The purchasing managers reported their first gain in six months, likewise soft, but with persistent strength in foreign orders. Fourth-quarter GDP grew by a mere 0.6 percent; however, aside from a temporary drawdown of business, inventories grew at 2 percent.

The Fed's form is disturbing to long-term investors. Central banking is not figure skating, but Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has departed his predecessor's 17 years of gradualism for lurching on the rink. A Fed that will lurch down will lurch up.

Investors bought long Treasurys and mortgages at these levels 2002-2004 because former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan said after every meeting into 2006: Excessive monetary stimulus most likely will be "removed at a measured pace." Translation: You're safe for now, and we'll give you time to get out before we kill you.
In those late Greenspan years, deflation was the problem. Today, inflation is rising all over the world: Australia at a 16-year-high of 3.8 percent core; Europe at a 14-year-high of 3.2 percent; U.K. at 2.6 percent core; China at 6 percent-plus; and an economy completely out of control beginning to export inflation to us.

Chicago's Quarterly Housing Market Report

The latest Chicago Home BUZZ report has almost been completed (just awaiting final few weeks of the year) but the results are staggering. The overall decrease from 2006 to 2007 in the fourth quarter was over 130% decrease in total sales volume from just one year ago.

Some of the leading declines in the City of Chicago included the Bucktown/Logan Square (60647) neighborhoods where there was an almost 300% decrease in single-family (detached) home sales from $32,898,835 in total sales in 2006 down to only $8,214,800 for the fourth quarter (2007). The Hyde Park neighborhood (60619) saw single-family homes drop from $3.6M down to under $1M in sales, down 287%.

Rogers Park condominiums saw only 45 sales last quarter, an over 230% decrease from the prior years 149 units.

The suburbs saw some areas with even worse showings including single-family sales in Highland Park where only four homes sold last quarter totaling $1,753,600 in sales down over a whopping 400% from the $8,888,000 last year.

Over all total sales volume for the quarter was $1.5 billion down over 130% from the $3.5 billions last year.

For more information and a free quarterly update of your neighborhood visit our Chicago HOME BUZZ page at http://www.chicagohomebuzz.com and see all the data and statistics.

If you'd like an Interactive Market Update of your neighborhood request a Market Snapshot

Finally, if you'd like us to mail you a copy of the Chicago Home Buzz report quarterly just drop us a line 

Stay tuned for more....

Sub Prime Bailout

As many of you have probably heard, the Federal government has implemented a policy which would give an estimated 1.2 million homeowners out there an extention on their 'teaser rate' loans which are scheduled to go up in the next 6 months.

These rates would be locked or up to five years pending a rebound in the economy and an improvement in the housing industry in general.

It is an interesting yet controversial move because some feel it is only a bandaid and that this may postpone the foreclosure situation until the next administration.

Time will tell.

Here is an article from Inman news on the topic:

Administration, lenders defend rate freeze plan

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Backers say up to 1.2 million loans eligible for refis, workouts
Thursday, December 06, 2007

By Matt Carter
Inman News


A plan to refinance or freeze the interest rates on up to 1.2 million subprime adjustable-rate mortgages for five years is not a "silver bullet" solution for all homeowners, but will help reduce the impact of the housing downturn on the economy and communities affected by foreclosures, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Thursday.

Paulson was the point man as the Bush administration rolled out a much-anticipated agreement with mortgage lenders and loan servicers in the face of criticism not only from consumer advocates -- some say it won't help enough borrowers -- but warnings from some in the lending industry who said an interest rate freeze could discourage investors from financing future loans.

The agreement has the backing of the American Securitization Forum, which represents companies that issue mortgage backed securities, as well as investors, loan servicers and rating agencies. ASF Executive Director George Miller said the agreement provides a common framework to evaluate borrowers’ situations, and expedites processes for loan servicers to pursue refinancing and loan modification options on a more systematic basis.

The ASF today published a 34-page document outlining procedures for servicers to follow in streamlining refinancings or loan modifications on ARM loans that are scheduled to reset in the next 2 1/2 years.

Paulson said he hoped that the guidelines would be adopted as "customary standard practice across the entire servicing industry," because the current system would "not be sufficient" to handle the 1.8 million owner-occupied subprime ARM resets expected in 2008 and 2009.

According to the framework, loans eligible for streamlined refinancing or modification such as an interest rate freeze must be ARM loans on owner-occupied homes originated between Jan. 1, 2005 and July 31, 2007, with an initial interest rate reset between Jan. 1, 2008 and July 31, 2010.

Under the guidelines, only borrowers with FICO scores less than 660 and facing an increase in monthly payments greater than 10 percent will be eligible for fast-track loan modifications. Borrowers who don't meet the "FICO test" may qualify for loan modifications after individual reviews of their current income and debt obligations.

Although the Bush administration says up to 1.2 million ARM loans may be eligible for refinancing or modifications, the Center for Responsible Lending, estimated that a much smaller number of families -- perhaps 145,000 -- will actually see any relief.

The administration's estimate is based on the belief that nearly two-thirds of the 1.8 million homeowners with subprime ARM loans facing interest rate resets in the next two years can afford their introductory rate, but won’t be able to afford higher payments after their loans reset.

But many subprime borrowers have second, "piggyback" mortgages that pose obstacles to loan modifications, CRL warned, and loan servicers will still have financial incentives to foreclose on loans, rather than engage in workouts.

"The plan relies on voluntary decisions by individual mortgage servicers and investors, (and) does not remove the strong financial and legal incentives servicers have to foreclose on loans rather than modify them," CRL said in a statement. "Recent experience shows that the likelihood of widespread modifications is small under this 'business as usual' approach."

CRL said Congress should also allow bankruptcy judges to modify the terms of mortgage loans for borrowers who file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection, saying it could prevent up to 600,000 foreclosures. The lending industry opposes pending legislation that would change the bankruptcy code to do just that, saying it would raise the cost of borrowing (see Inman News story).

The rating agency Standard & Poor's issued a report raising concerns that wholesale interest rate freezes on subprime ARM loans could force it to lower its ratings on subprime mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Such concerns have prompted others in the industry to warn that wholesale loan workouts will discourage investment in MBS, worsening the ongoing credit crunch.

Paulson said the plan, while not perfect, is part of a broader effort the Bush administration has undertaken to address the housing downturn. Those efforts are in two areas, he said: limiting the impacts of the current downturn, and taking steps to protect housing and credit markets in the future by tightening regulations.

To limit the impact of the current downturn, the administration's FHASecure program allows some homeowners who are already in default to refinance into loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said today that FHA has received 118,000 refinance applications since the program was announced in September, and that 35,000 homeowners have already refinanced into FHA-backed loans.

Jackson said FHA expects to process another 50,000 refinance loans by the end of the year, and that a pending bill to lower FHA down payment requirements, allow it to insure larger mortgages, and expand "risk-based" pricing, would allow FHA to back an additional 250,000 loans by the end of 2008. All told, Jackson said, FHA may be able to guarantee up to 800,000 loans in fiscal year 2008.

On the regulatory front, President Bush said at a press conference today that the Federal Reserve will announce stronger lending standards later this month. HUD and federal banking regulators, Bush said, are taking steps to improve disclosure requirements.

Bush chastised Congress for failing to pass an FHA modernization bill or legislation to reform oversight of the government-sponsored enterprises Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Paulson and James Lockhart, director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), echoed the president's call for a GSE modernization bill.

Lockhart said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac "have played an extremely important role in supporting the mortgage market as all the problems erupted this summer," growing their market share of all new mortgages to more than 60 percent, up from 38 percent last year.

Although the House passed a GSE reform bill in May, there is disagreement in the Senate over limits on Fannie and Freddie's loan portfolios and whether to raise the $417,000 conforming loan limit.

FNMA Sells $7 Billion in Stock

Fannie Mae, the country's largest buyer of mortgages on the secondary market decided the risks to continue with the housing market decline put too much pressure on their return for investors and sold its preferred stock to raise capital.

The news cannot be greated with a reflection of optimism for the state of affairs for Fannie Mae and their involvement in the secondary market.

Just another sign that even FNMA bit off more than it could chew and is trying to create stability for its investors in this turbulent market.

This from Inman News


Mortgage repurchaser Fannie Mae said Tuesday it would issue $7 billion in preferred stock to raise capital and reduce the company's quarterly common stock dividend beginning in the first quarter of 2008.

Fannie Mae on Nov. 9 reported $1.4 billion in third-quarter losses, but said it had $41.7 billion in core capital on hand, $2.3 billion above minimum requirements set by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO).

In a press release Tuesday, Fannie Mae officials said the preferred stock issue -- along with a smaller $500 million issue last month -- will help the company maintain a solid capital position through 2008.

The additional capital will "strengthen Fannie Mae's ability to manage the effects of ongoing volatility in the mortgage credit markets, continue to grow its securitization activities, and pursue attractive investment opportunities," the company said.

But Fannie Mae officials warned that worsening housing and credit markets, continued losses on guaranty contracts, substantial credit-related expenses, and losses on derivatives and securities “will adversely affect in a material way the company's fourth quarter 2007 results.”

In addition, the company said, conditions in the housing and credit markets, including expected further declines in home prices, “will negatively affect the company's financial condition, and results of operations in 2008.

Worst Quarter Since 1994

This article was written by Chicago Crain's columnist Alby Gallun. The state of affairs in the residential real estate market has not seen such a significant slow down in this quarter since 1994.


By Alby Gallun
Oct. 29, 2007

Local homebuilders endured more pain and suffering in the third quarter as new-home sales continued a slide that began two years ago.

Residential developers in the Chicago area sold 3,796 homes in the quarter, down 34% from the year-earlier period, according to Schaumburg-based Tracy Cross & Associates Inc. On a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, sales totaled 15,296 units, down 40% from last year and their lowest level since 1994.

"It's the same old story," says Tracy Cross, president of the real estate consulting firm. "I think we are at the bottom right now. How long it stays in this trough, I'm not so sure."

After a prolonged boom fueled by easy credit and speculative buying, the residential market faltered in 2005 as rising prices and mortgage rates curtailed demand for new homes. More recently, lenders have tightened their loan criteria amid the subprime lending crisis.

The downturn has rippled through the industry, forcing widespread layoffs at homebuilders and subcontractors.

"On our end, it's terrible. It's awful," says Jim Venhuizen, owner and president of Cimarron Construction Inc., a New Lenox-based carpentry contractor that serves the residential market.

Cimarron employs about 25 carpenters now, down from roughly 100 a couple of years ago. Though the firm is still profitable, its net profit margin has shrunk to the low single digits, well below the 10% that is the norm for the carpentry industry, he says. Work is scarce, and homebuilders that do have work for firms like Cimarron are demanding price cuts.

"Everybody's going to be working real cheap for the next year, for sure," Mr. Venhuizen says.

Another apparent victim of the downturn in the new-home market is Neumann Homes Inc., which last week said it plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (ChicagoBusiness.com, Oct. 22).

The Warrenville-based homebuilder, which had 15 subdivisions in the works in Illinois, has laid off most of its employees and closed all of its sales, production and customer service offices.

The new-home business is especially bad in the suburbs, where sales fell 42% in the quarter, to 2,502 units, according to Tracy Cross. Sales in the city fell 14%, to 1,294 units.

A growing number of people who signed contracts to buy new homes are canceling, either because they can no longer qualify for a mortgage or they simply don't want to buy anymore, Mr. Cross says. The average cancellation rate is about 30% now, up from the more typical 15% to 20%, he estimates.

"Some are walking away from earnest money," he says. "Others are coming up with creative ways to get out."

The average Chicago-area new home sold for $416,329 in the third quarter, up 16% from the second quarter. But that number reflects a shift in the sales mix toward expensive condominiums in the city rather than any broader pickup in the market.

Though the downturn is deeper and longer than most observers expected, sales are so low that they can't drop much further, Mr. Cross says. Only 77 of the 817 condo and townhouse developments the firm tracks had eight or more sales during the quarter, and 327 either logged no sales at all or suffered a net loss of sales as buyers canceled contracts.

Conversion Property Sales Up (but stats are deceiving)

2 major deals drive first-half jump in apartment sales

(Crain’s) — Sales of apartment buildings in the Chicago region soared almost 70% in the first half of the year to $1.45 billion, buoyed by two massive downtown transactions and rent growth that continues to fuel demand from institutional investors.

Sales in the city through June totaled $944.25 million, almost triple the amount from the same period last year, while sales volume in the suburbs fell 4.9% to $502.59 million, according to a new report by CB Richard Ellis Inc.

With another $750 million of deals in the works, sales could climb to $2.5 billion this year, predicts John Jaeger, first vice-president with CB Richard Ellis’ multi-family investment unit in Chicago. That would shatter the all-time high of $1.89 billion reached in 2005.

“I think $2.5 billion is achievable. It’s not a stretch,” Mr. Jaeger says. “You’re seeing mega-deals as well as large and mid-sized transactions.”

Two downtown deals accounted for more than 50% of the volume in the first half of the year: the 2,346-unit Presidential Towers, which was bought for $475 million by Chicago-based Waterton Associates LLC, and the 481-unit Grand Plaza east tower, which a foreign investor bought for $263 million.

Institutional investors such as pension funds and private-equity firms are dominating the landscape, as condominium converters have been almost non-existent.

Through June, not one apartment downtown was bought by a converter, a developer that would convert the building into condos. One such deal was put under contract, though: American Invsco’s agreement to buy a 46-story tower at 200 N. Dearborn St.

The Chicago region has become popular with institutional investors trying to find so-called value-add properties where renovations can lead to big rent increases. That’s because much of the apartment stock here consists of 20- to 30-year-old complexes, says Mr. Jaeger, and because few new apartments have been built in recent years.

“Value-add deals continue to be the buzz as investors are chasing higher yields through a renovation program and resulting rent premiums,” the CB Richard Ellis report says.

One value-add investor concedes that deals have been hard to come by.

“It’s a challenge to successfully win those opportunities in this environment when so much capital is seeking value-add properties,” says Bennett Neuman, a senior vice-president of acquisitions with Chicago-based Laramar Group.

But Mr. Neuman says Laramar, which last bought a property here late last year, is hopeful about some current prospects.

“We’re seeing good increases in market rents, and vacancies are declining,” he says. “In general, we have the wind at our back.”

From Crain's Chicago Business

Related story: Thompson to resign as Winston & Strawn chair

Related story: Over the past 11½ years, condo converters have accounted for 43% of apartment sales in the city, according to CB Richard Ellis.

Technorati Tags: Chicago, apartment, sales, conversion, market, statistics

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Heading in the Right Direction

Monthly Home Sales Reach 7-Month High

Sales of existing homes rose in January, reaching the highest level in seven months, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

Total existing-home sales — including single family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops — increased 3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.46 million units in January from an upwardly revised pace of 6.27 million in December. Sales were 4.3 percent below the 6.75 million-unit level in January 2006.

David Lereah, NAR’s chief economist, says observers shouldn’t overreact to the sales gain or to other short-term effects. “Although we’re expecting existing-home sales to gradually rise this year, and buyers are responding to the price correction, some unusually warm weather helped boost sales in January,” he says.

“On the flip side, the winter storms that disrupted so much of the country in February could negatively impact the housing market. “Although the data is seasonally adjusted, these weather events are unusually large — many transaction closings were postponed in February, and home shopping was essentially shut down for about a week in many areas,” he says. “We shouldn’t be surprised to see a near-term sales dip, but that will be followed by a continuing recovery in home sales.”

Inventories Drop

Total housing inventory levels rose 2.9 percent at the end of January to 3.55 million existing homes available for sale, which represents a 6.6-month supply at the current sales pace — unchanged from the revised December level. Supplies peaked at 7.4 months in October 2006.“Inventories are looking better, but price softness should continue until spring when the market is expected to become more balanced,” Lereah says.What Happened RegionallyHere’s a breakdown of home sales by region:

West Coast: Existing-home sales in the West rose 5.6 percent to an annual pace of 1.32 million in January but were 9.6 percent lower than a year ago. The median price in the West was $321,300, down 4.6 percent from January 2006.

Midwest: Existing-home sales increased 4.8 percent in January to a level of 1.53 million, and were 0.6 percent lower than January 2006. The median price in the Midwest was $162,600, which is 3.5 percent below a year ago.

South: Existing-home sales in the South rose 2 percent to an annual sales rate of 2.54 million in January, but were 7.3 percent below a year ago. The median price in the South was $174,600, which is 1.7 percent below January 2006.

Northeast: Existing-home sales in the Northeast were at a level of 1.07 million in January, unchanged from December, and were 5.9 percent higher than January 2006. The median existing-home price in the Northeast was $260,700, down 1.2 percent from a year earlier.

National Single-family and Condo Home Sales

Single-family home sales rose 3.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.69 million in January from an upwardly revised 5.50 million in December. But that still accounts for 4.2 percent below the 5.94 million-unit level in January 2006. The median existing single-family home price was $209,200 in January, down 3.5 percent from a year earlier.Existing condominium and cooperative housing sales slipped 0.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 767,000 units in January from a downwardly revised pace of 768,000 in December. Last month’s sales activity was 5.7 percent below the 813,000-unit pace in January 2006.The median existing condo price was $222,200 in January, up 0.5 percent from a year ago.

NAR President: Market is Stabilizing

The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $210,600 in January, down 3.1 percent from January 2006 when the median was $217,400. The median is a typical market price where half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less.

NAR President Pat Vredevoogd Combs, from Grand Rapids, Mich., says a broader view shows the housing market stabilizing. “The market is trending up from its low last fall, and that is important in restoring confidence to buyers who’ve been on the sidelines,” Combs says. “Since buyers can find more favorable terms, and they are looking for a place to call home for some years to come, getting into the market now makes sense. It’s a choice many didn’t have during the boom period of bidding wars in much of the country.”

source— REALTOR® Magazine Online