According to numbers released by HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau, the sale of newly built, single family homes increased by 2.3% in April. This would bring sales to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 454,000 units for the month.

The chairman of the National Association of Home Builders, Rick Judson, had to say, “Builders are reporting an active spring buying season as consumers become more confident about going forward with a new-home purchase along with steadily firming prices in local markets,” In April, inventory for new homes have remained steady at 156,000 units. This low supply should result in further building efforts in the near future.
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According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), total existing home sales have increased for 21 months in a row year-over-year. There was a 10.3% increase over March of 2012 and sales have climbed to a 4.46 seasonally adjusted rate for March.

There was also a 1.6% increase in total housing inventory by the end of March. The amount of existing homes for sale was at 1.93 million and housing supply was at a 4.7 month supply (at current sales rate). There was a 16.8% decrease in listed inventory from a year earlier when there was a 6.2 month supply.

Home prices have also shown continuing improvement with price increases for 13 consecutive months of growth year-over-year.  For all housing types there was a national median existing-home price of $184,300 in March. This is an 11.8% increase from the year before. These are the highest gains we seen since November of 2005.

NAR economist Yun also had to say, “…The good news is home construction is rising and low mortgage rates are continuing to keep affordability conditions at historically favorable levels…”

Another positive sign was an improving median time on the market for all homes. It was down to 62 days in March from 74 in February. This is 32% lower than median time on the market for March of 2012.

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National Property Inspections and Global Property Inspections have some big news for 2013. In Entrepreneur annual Franchise 500 list, National Property Inspections ranks 375th out of all franchises. That’s not all, RedHotFranchises.com has NPI at 12th in its Hot 100 Franchises for 2013 list.

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting good news when it comes to new home prices. New Department of Commerce data is showing an increase of 37% for new home construction over last year. Competition for prime real estate has driven contractors to bid on land in desirable areas. With increased demand for new housing, such competition will regulate home prices and lead to a stronger housing market.

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According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), housing affordability will see an annual record for 2012. Only 11 months of data are in for the NAR’s Housing Affordability Index, but 2012 looks to be a record setting year. The index takes into account median home price, median family income, and average mortgage interest rate. Since 1970, the first year the index has been recorded, the United States has not seen a buyer’s market at this level.

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According to Market Watch, home prices in the U.S. have reached their highest year-over-year level in six years. The year-on-year rate for November was 7.4%, a 0.3% rise from the month before. All but 6 states saw gains from a year ago, which shows solid growth throughout the country. Low interest rates, growth in prospective buyers and a better jobs market have all contributed to an improved market.

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