Pending Home Sales Sluggish as Low Supply Rears Its Head

Real Estate News July 2017
Pending Home Sales Sluggish as Low Supply Rears Its Head
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Image 1 Pending home sales were sluggish in April as low supply reared its head, down 1.3 percent in the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI). The PHSI posted 109.8 in April, down from 111.3 in March. The Index is based on contract signings.

"Much of the country for the second straight month saw a pullback in pending sales as the rate of new listings continues to lag the quicker pace of homes coming off the market," says Lawrence Yun, chief economist at NAR. "REALTORS® are indicating that foot traffic is higher than a year ago, but it's obviously not translating to more sales.

The West fared best in April, with pending home sales up 5.8 percent to an Index reading of 100.0, though still down 4.2 percent from one year ago. The Midwest saw a 4.7 percent decrease in the Index to 104.4, while the South saw a 2.7 percent decrease to 125.9, and the Northeast, a 1.7 percent decrease to 97.2.

Scarce supply will remain the status quo, according to Yun, unless more homes are made available, especially from the investor side.   

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