Current Trend is: More Sales at Lower Prices
Most states continued to experience rising existing-home sales in the third quarter, with prices moderating in many metro areas, according to the latest survey by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.
During the third quarter, 123 out of 153 metropolitan statistical areas2 reported lower median existing single-family home prices in comparison with the third quarter of 2008, while 30 areas had price gains.
The national median existing single-family price was $177,900, which is 11.2 percent below the third quarter of 2008; the median is where half sold for more and half sold for less. Distressed sales – foreclosures and short sales – accounted for 30 percent of transactions in the third quarter, which continued to weigh down median home prices because they sell at a discount relative to traditional homes.
In the South, existing-home sales rose 11.3 percent in the third quarter to an annual rate of 1.97 million and are 5.9 percent higher than the third quarter of 2008.
The median existing single-family home price in the South was $160,000 in the third quarter, down 7.9 percent from a year earlier. After Cumberland and Oklahoma City, the next strongest price increase in the region was in Shreveport-Bossier City, La., at $152,300, up 8.6 percent from the third quarter of 2008; Jackson, Miss., at $141,200, up 4.6 percent; and Durham, N.C., where the median price rose 3.6 percent to $184,300.