Pending Sales of U.S. Existing Homes Rise Most Since 2011

Source: Bloomberg

By Lorraine Woellert Apr 28, 2014 10:21 AM ET

Contracts to purchase previously owned U.S. homes climbed in March by the most in almost three years, showing residential real estate was starting to stabilize entering the spring selling season.

The pending home sales index rose 3.4 percent, the most since May 2011 and the first gain in nine months, after a 0.5 percent drop in February that was smaller than initially reported, the National Association of Realtors said today in Washington. The median projection in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 1 percent increase. The gauge is 7.4 percent below a year earlier.

Housing demand has weakened since the middle of last year as rising prices and borrowing costs put ownership out of reach for some prospective buyers. An improving employment outlook and easier access to credit would help entice more house hunters to sign purchase contracts.

“The backdrop in general for housing remains reasonably positive,” said Jim O’Sullivan, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics Ltd. in Valhalla, New York, who projected a 2.5 percent gain. “The labor market is improving, confidence generally has been edging up and mortgage rates are still pretty low.”

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-28/pending-sales-of-u-s-existing-homes-rise-most-since-may-2011.html