Existing Home-sales Rise to Record in April

WASHINGTON D.C. - Existing-home sales hit a record high in April, according to a report released today by the National Association of Realtors.

Single-family home sales rose 4.5 percent in April to a record seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.28 million from a level of 6.01 million in March. Last month's sales activity was 5.0 percent above the 5.98 million-unit pace in April 2004. The median single-family home price was $203,800 in April, up 15.1 percent from a year earlier.

Total existing-home sales - including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops - rose 4.5 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 7.18 million from a downwardly revised pace of 6.87 million in March. April sales were 5.7 percent above the 6.79 million-unit pace in April 2004. The previous record was a sales rate of 7.02 million in June 2004.

?EUR??,,????'??A new record is a bit unexpected, but so is the performance of mortgage interest rates which have been lower than forecast,?EUR??,,????'?? David Lereah, NAR's chief economist, said. ?EUR??,,????'??When we look at recent job gains, we see all the positive factors coming together to coincide with a powerful demographic demand for housing.?EUR??,,????'??

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage was 5.86 percent in April, down from 5.93 percent in March; the rate was 5.83 percent in April 2004. Last week, the 30-year fixed dropped to 5.71 percent.

?EUR??,,????'??We've been facing a significant shortage of homes available for sale,?EUR??,,????'?? NAR President Al Mansell said. ?EUR??,,????'??Although housing supplies rose last month, it wasn't enough to take pressure off of prices gains, which are the strongest we've seen in nearly 25 years. The dynamics of the market underscore the value of housing as a solid long-term investment.?EUR??,,????'??

The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $206,000 in April, up 15.1 percent from April 2004 when the median price was $179,000. The median is a typical market price where half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less. The last time prices rose at a stronger pace was in November 1980 when the median price rose 15.6 percent from a year earlier.

Regionally, the home resale pace in the South jumped 7.4 percent from March to a record annual rate of 2.74 million units in April, and was 8.3 percent higher than a year ago. The median price of an existing home in the South was $176,000, which was 8.0 percent higher than April 2004.

Total existing-home sales in the Midwest rose 5.8 percent to a record annual rate of 1.64 million in April, and were 3.8 percent above April 2004. The median price in the Midwest was $166,000, up 12.9 percent from a year earlier.

Existing-home sales in the Northeast increased 4.3 percent to a record annual pace of 1.20 million units in April, and were 7.1 percent above the level of a year ago. The median existing-home price in the Northeast was $243,000, up 15.2 percent from April 2004.

Existing-home sales in the West held even at an annual rate of 1.61 million units in April, and were 2.5 percent higher than April 2004. The median existing-home price in the West was $305,000, up 21.0 percent from the same month a year ago.