Home sales in July picked up after 4 months in a market slump

Lauren Taylor

AFTER A FOUR MONTH SLUMP, SALES OF PREVIOUSLY OCCUPIED HOMES FINALLY PICKED UP IN JULY. 

LOWER MORTGAGE RATES AND A rising NUMBER OF HOMES ON THE MARKET APPEAR TO HAVE ENCOURAGED MORE HOME SHOPPERS TO MAKE A MOVE.

However the increased supply did not help to cool home prices. 

And SALES ARE STILL DOWN 2 POINT 5 PERCENT FROM THIS TIME LAST YEAR. ALTHOUGH THE NUMBERS CAME IN SLIGHTLY ABOVE EXPECTATIONS FROM ECONOMISTS, THE MARKET REMAINS CAUTIOUS. 

HOME PRICES HAVE BEEN STEADILY INCREASING FOR 13 CONSECUTIVE MONTHS. THE NATIONAL MEDIAN SALES PRICE CLIMBED 4 POINT PERCENT FROM LAST YEAR, REACHING MORE THAN $400-THOUSAND IN JULY. 

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’ CHIEF ECONOMIST SAID WHILE SALES ARE STILL SLUGGISH, CONSUMERS ARE SEEING MORE OPTIONS, AND AFFORDABILITY IS IMPROVING THANKS TO LOWER MORTGAGE RATES.

INVENTORY IS ON THE RISE TOO. THERE WERE 1 POINT 33 MILLION UNSOLD HOMES AT THE END OF JULY. 

THE U.S. HOUSING MARKET HAS FACED SOME SERIOUS CHALLENGES SINCE MORTGAGE RATES BEGAN CLIMBING IN 2022. IN FACT, LAST YEAR, EXISTING HOME SALES PLUNGED TO THEIR LOWEST LEVEL IN NEARLY THREE DECADES, WITH MORTGAGE RATES HITTING A 23-YEAR HIGH OF 7 POINT 79 PERCENT.

BUT THERE MAY BE RELIEF ON THE HORIZON FOR PROSPECTIVE BUYERS. MORTGAGE RATES HAVE BEEN EASING RECENTLY, WITH THE AVERAGE 30 YEAR HOME LOAN NOW SITTING AT AROUND 6 POINT 5 PERCENT. WITH INFLATION COOLING AND SIGNS OF A SOFTER JOB MARKET, THERE’S SPECULATION THAT THE FEDERAL RESERVE MAY CUT ITS BENCHMARK INTEREST RATE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS AS EARLY AS NEXT MONTH. 

WE’LL BE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THAT. AND YOU CAN TOO. DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP – AND SIGN UP FOR UPDATES SO YOU NEVER MISS A STORY