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U.S. Pending Home Sales Weaker Than Forecast, Held Back by Irma

Outside of the storms’ effects, the housing market is being hindered by a lack of properties that has driven up prices.

U.S. Pending Home Sales Weaker Than Forecast, Held Back by Irma
Contractors prepare a home ahead of Hurricane Irma in Miami, Florida, U.S. (Photographer: Jayme Gershen/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- A gauge of contract signings to purchase previously-owned U.S. homes was unchanged in September at the lowest level since the start of 2016 as Hurricane Irma depressed sales in the southeast and a limited number of listings restrained activity elsewhere, according to data released Thursday from the National Association of Realtors in Washington.

Highlights of Pending Home Sales (September)

  • Index held (est. 0.5% gain) at 106 after a 2.8% decline
  • Gauge dropped 5.4% from September 2016 on unadjusted basis, the biggest year-over-year decrease since April
  • Contract signings fell in the South and rose in the other three regions

Key Takeaways

The data reflect volatility in the wake of hurricanes Irma and Harvey. While activity in the Houston area has rebounded since Harvey in late August, sales last month were weighed down in the South by Irma, the Realtors group said.

Outside of the storms’ effects, the housing market is being hindered by a lack of properties that has driven up prices. Sales of homes listed for less than $250,000 are down from last year, while those at the upper end of the bracket are “up solidly,” the NAR said. Nonetheless, steady hiring, easier credit availability and borrowing costs still near historically low levels remain sources of support for the housing recovery.

Economists consider pending sales a leading indicator because they track contract signings. Purchases of existing homes are tabulated when a deal closes, typically a month or two later, and those sales were up in September for the first time in four months.

U.S. Pending Home Sales Weaker Than Forecast, Held Back by Irma

Economist Views

“While most of the country, except for the South, did see minor gains in contract signings last month, activity is falling further behind last year’s pace because new listings aren’t keeping up with what’s being sold,” Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said in a statement.

Other Details

  • Purchases rose 1.2 percent in the Northeast, 1.4 percent in the Midwest and 1.9 percent in the West
  • Contract signings dropped 2.3 percent in the South

--With assistance from Jordan Yadoo

To contact the reporter on this story: Shobhana Chandra in Washington at schandra1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Scott Lanman at slanman@bloomberg.net, Vince Golle

©2017 Bloomberg L.P.