{"id":5944,"date":"2014-01-27T13:59:57","date_gmt":"2014-01-27T13:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/?p=5944"},"modified":"2014-01-27T13:59:57","modified_gmt":"2014-01-27T13:59:57","slug":"home-sales-2013-rise-strongest-level-7-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/home-sales-2013-rise-strongest-level-7-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Sales in 2013 Rise to Strongest Level in 7 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Home Sales in 2013 Rise to Strongest Level in 7 Years<\/h2>\n

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Home Sales in 2013 Rise to Strongest Level in 7 Years. Image courtesy of ddpavumba \/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/p><\/div>\n

The housing market has been experiencing a \u201chealthy recovery\u201d over the past two years, with home sales last year rising to the highest level since 2006, according to the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae’ latest housing report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cExisting-home sales have risen nearly 20 percent since 2011, with job growth, record low mortgage interest rates, and a large pent-up demand driving the market,\u201d says Lawrence Yun, NAR\u2019s chief economist. \u201cWe lost some momentum toward the end of 2013 from disappointing job growth and limited inventory, but we ended with a year that was close to normal given the size of our population.\u201d<\/p>\n

Existing-home sales rose 1 percent in December 2013 compared to November and reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.87 million.<\/p>\n

Existing-home sales for all of 2013 reached 5.02 million sales, 9.1 percent higher than 2012, and the largest rise since 2006 when sales were at 6.48 million at the close of the housing boom, NAR reports.<\/p>\n

Home prices were also on the rise in 2013, up 11.5 percent over 2012, with a median existing-home price of $197,100 last year compared to $176,800 in 2012. It was the strongest gain in home prices in a year since 2005, when home prices rose 12.4 percent, NAR reports.<\/p>\n

NAR President Steve Brown says that with job growth expected this year, home sales should hold despite rising home prices and higher mortgage rates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only factors holding us back from a stronger recovery are the ongoing issues of restrictive mortgage credit and constrained inventory,\u201d Brown says. \u201cWith strict new mortgage rules in place<\/a>, we will be monitoring the lending environment to ensure that financially qualified buyers can access the credit they need to purchase a home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Housing Recovery Regional Snapshot<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at how existing-home sales fared in December and for the year across the country:<\/p>\n