The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) has released the housing numbers for June and the numbers are good!
| HOUSTON SINGLE-FAMILY HOME SALES EDGE UP IN JUNE AS EFFECTS OF HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT WANE |
| Average price reaches the highest level in nearly two years |
| HOUSTON — (July 20, 2010) — Closings of properties purchased through the federal homebuyer tax credit combined with the seasonal spring-summer uptick in consumer activity kept Houston-area single-family home sales in positive territory for a fourth straight month in June. However, expiration of the homebuyer tax credit slowed the brisk pace of sales volume that the market enjoyed in recent months.Congress extended the time necessary to close on homes purchased with the tax credit by three months to September 30, provided the property was under contract by April 30. The May and June decline in pending sales—property listings that are expected to close within the next 30 to 60 days—was expected, as homebuyers rushed to take advantage of the tax credit and is considered an indicator that sales volume will slow in July.According to the latest monthly data compiled by the Houston Association of Realtors® (HAR), June sales of single-family homes throughout the Houston market rose 2.9 percent compared to June 2009. That follows increases of 11.3 percent in March, 27.8 percent in April and 18.2 percent in May. Sales volume showed gains in all single-family home pricing segments except the $150,000 to $250,000 market. The largest increase took place among homes priced from $500,000 and above. Sales of all property types combined climbed 4.1 percent in June on a year-over-year basis.
The average price of a single-family home edged up 0.9 percent from June 2009 to $222,767, the highest price since July 2008. The June single-family home median price—the figure at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less—dipped 2.9 percent from one year earlier to $159,700, but still reached the highest level since August 2009. Foreclosure property sales reported in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) rose 9.3 percent in June compared to one year earlier. The median price of June foreclosure sales increased 2.4 percent to $88,000 on a year-over-year basis. Sales of all property types in Houston for June totaled 6,593, up 4.1 percent compared to June 2009. Total dollar volume for properties sold during the month was $1.4 billion versus $1.3 billion one year earlier, representing a 4.9 percent increase. “The Houston real estate market has benefited all that it can from the homebuyer tax credit and now comes the return of sales trends that are more typical for this time of year,” said Margie Dorrance, HAR chair and principal at Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan. “Heavy sales activity in the high end of the housing market boosted the average price in June, but growing inventory, an increase in months inventory and a slowdown in listings under contract point to a more flattened market in the coming months.” June Monthly Market Comparison The number of available properties, or active listings, at the end of June rose 17.3 percent from June 2009 to 53,934. That represents 2,749 more active listings than one month earlier, in June 2010, and reflects additional housing inventory that began hitting the market as a result of interest in the homebuyer tax credit as well as general confidence in improved market conditions. Month-end pending sales for June totaled 3,272, down 16.0 percent from last year. This is a likely indicator that the effects of the tax credit have worn off. The months inventory of single-family homes for June extended to 7.3 months compared to 6.4 months one year earlier, but remains healthier than the national months inventory of single-family homes of 8.3 months, reported by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). |
