NAR: Northeast Existing-Home Sales Flat in October
Year-over-year sales rose in the Northeast, Midwest and South, and decreased in the West.
This deepening crisis means that without interventions aimed at significantly ramping up affordable housing supply, the city's affordability gap could linger for generations.
The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($806,500 or less) decreased to 6.83% from 6.84%.
Pending sales in the Northeast increased incrementally even though home price growth in the region has been the strongest in the country.
Market dynamics continue to reflect high competition at the entry level and slower movement in the luxury tier.
Closed sales for all properties edged down 6.0% year-over-year to 3,972 transactions, with single-family home closings down 4.6%.
More supply is needed to increase the share of first-time homebuyers in the coming years even though some markets appear to have a temporary oversupply at the moment.
Yun predicted that existing home sales would rise approximately 3% this year, but jump 14% higher in 2025.
Notably, big cities New York (71.7%), Boston (72%), and Chicago (72.6%) joined the top 10 metros with the highest out-of-market search rates.
The Dashboard also includes forward-looking analysis on how many households could qualify to buy a median-priced home if mortgage rates fall to 6%.
Due to stubbornly high mortgage rates, a greater share of international home buyers paid cash—47% compared to 28% among all buyers.
Leasing activity surged this quarter to over 360,000 square feet, a 45% increase from the first quarter of this year, with renewals representing 57% of executed transactions.
The report noted that in Westchester County, the luxury segment remains particularly strong, with significant buyer activity in the $2-million-and-above category.
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