Pending Home Sales Up In September

The National Association of Realtor’s Pending Home Sales Index measures contract signings and is an indicator of future existing-home sales. In September, the index was up 0.3 percent over August and 14.5 percent above last year’s level. It was the 17th consecutive month of year-over-year improvement. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said home contract activity remains at an elevated level when compared to recent years and should continue its upward trend in 2013. Pending home sales were up in every region of the country and are showing double-digit increases over last year in the Northeast, South, and Midwest. According to the NAR, existing-home sales should close 2012 at 4.6 million, which is an increase of 9.0 percent over 2011. More here and here.

 

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Refinance Activity Remains Near Three Year High

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, refinance application demand slipped 2.0 percent last week but remains near three-year highs. The drop was matched by a 2.0 percent increase in purchase application demand, pushing purchase loan volume to the highest level since June. The Market Composite Index fell 1.2 percent from the previous week. Michael Fratantoni, MBA’s vice president of research and economics, said mortgage rates remain historically low, which benefits both prospective homebuyers and those seeking to refinance. According to the survey, the average contract interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances increased to 3.56 percent from 3.53 percent the week before. The survey covers 75 percent of all U.S. residential mortgage applications and has been conducted weekly since 1990. More here.

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