Supply of homes on market at 22-year high Existing-home sales fall 1.2% to 4.97 million pace in October
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Sales of existing homes fell further in October even as more homes came on the market, driving the supply of homes to the highest level in 22 years, the National Association of Realtors reported Wednesday.
Sales dropped 1.2% to a 4.97 million seasonally adjusted annualized pace in October, the real estate advocacy group said. The sales pace is the lowest since 1999, when the group began tracking combined sales of single-family homes and condos.
Sales are down 20.7% in the past year and are down 31% from the peak of 7.21 million two years ago. October sales were stronger than the 4.85 million pace expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch.
The inventory of unsold homes rose by 1.9% to 4.45 million, representing a 10.8 month supply, the highest since 1999. For single-family homes alone, the inventory of 10.5 months is the
highest since July 1985. The
median sales price fell 5.1% in the past year to $207,800.
That's the largest year-over-year price decline ever recorded. The fundamentals of the market don't support a further decline in sales, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the NAR, who said low mortgage rates and job growth should keep sales from falling. While the subprime mortgage market has disappeared, the Federal Housing Administration is picking up its lending. "I don't anticipate any further major sales declines," Yun said. If sales do continue to fall, "it would be a major concern" and "would raise the risk of an economic recession." Sales fell 4.4% in the West, where sales have plunged 33% in the past year and down 48% from the peak. The seizure of the jumbo mortgage market was a major factor in the sales slump in the West, Yun said. Sales dropped 1.7% in the Midwest and were unchanged in the South and Northeast. Sales of single-family homes were flat in October at a 4.37 million pace, matching September for the lowest level since January 1998. The median sales price for single-family homes is down a record 6.3% in the past year to $205,700. Sales of condos fell 9.1% to a 600,000 annual pace. The median sales price rose 4.9% year-on-year to $223,500.

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