Tag Archives: Census Bureau

The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) increased for the third straight month in November, improving 1.7 percent to 106.4, the National Association of Realtors reported Friday. Economists had expected a slightly fast, 1.8 percent increase to 106.7. The index, the NAR said, is at its highest level since April 2010.

New home sales jumped 4.4 percent in November to 377,000, the highest level since April 2010, the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the report to show a sales pace of 375,000.

Home prices fell in October for the first time since March, according to the monthly Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Both the 10-city index and the 20-city index decreased 0.1 percent from September to 158.77 and 146.08 respectively. The value of the 10 city index fell 0.10 and of the 20-city index dropped 0.09. The 10-city index for October was 3.4 percent higher than it was in October 2011 and the 20-city index showed a 4.3 percent year-year gain.

Economic indicators are never clear and are not isolated bits of data. The numbers released in the last week provided another example of that maxim.

Despite a continuing surge in builder confidence, housing starts dropped 3.0 percent in November to 861,000 the Census Bureau and HUD reported jointly Wednesday. At the same time start activity for both September and October was revised lower. Applications for permits, according to the report, rose 3.6 percent to 899,000--the highest level since July 2008 as permit activity for October was revised slightly upward.

The number of homebuyers committing to sales contracts soared last month. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) says its Pending Home Sales Index for October skyrocketed to hit its highest mark in more than five years. The index jumped 5.2 percent from September to October to a reading of 104.8, its highest point since March 2007. Economists had expected a smaller increase to 100.5. Compared to October 2011, the index was up 13.2 percent, making it the 18th straight month of year-over-year gains.

New home sales barely budged in October, dropping 0.37 percent to 368,000 after September’s report was revised sharply downward from an original 389,000 to 369,000, Census Bureau and HUD reported Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the report to show a sales pace of 387,000.

Housing starts rose 3.6 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 894,000, the highest level since July 2008, but permits for new residential construction fell the Census Bureau and HUD reported jointly Tuesday. Housing completions soared in October, up 14.5 percent during the month to 772,000, the highest level since June 2010. The increase in completions was led by a 5.3 percent jump in multifamily completions. Single-family completions in October reached their highest level since June 2010, increasing to 542,000.

The number of households owning homes rose to 75,076,000 in the third quarter from 74,832,000 in the second, but down from 75,251,000 a year ago, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. At the same time, the nation's homeownership rate (seasonally adjusted) remained at 65.5 percent. The homeownership rate stayed near historic lows. The rate in the first quarter was 65.4 percent, the lowest since the first quarter of 1997.

New home sales jumped 5.7 percent in September to a seasonally adjusted average annualized rate of 389,000, the highest rate since April 2010, the Census Bureau and HUD reported Wednesday. The month-to-month sales improvement was the strongest since February, when sales improved 27,000, or 8.0 percent. While sales numbers improved, both the median and average sales price of a new home dropped month-to-month. Sales were still up 27.1 percent from September 2011, the strongest year-over-year gain since February.