HOME SALES PRICES AND VOLUME UP ACROSS THE U.S., POINTS TO CONTINUING RECOVERY

The latest figures are in, through the month of May, and it all continues in a positive direction, as housing continues its recovery mode, and to be a bright spot in the U.S. economy.  At what point interest rates will be raised, and what impact that will cause, because it will have consequences, remains to be seen. The Fed has indicated later this year, although the recent job report and unemployment stats did disappoint in the area of wages, and the amount of people leaving the job search market.  That aside, the jobs that have been added and the wages that were predicted to increase last year and this, apparently have brought about the desired effect.  Overall, the U.S. gained in total sales volume from May of 2014, (all following figures based on the same time period for 2014), to rise 9.2% for May of 2015.  The Midwest led the charge with 12.4%, the Northeast was next with 11.3%, the West was next at 9% and the South straggled a bit behind at 6%.  Prices were up overall in the U.S. 7.9%.  This time, predictably, the West led at a rise of 10.2%, the Midwest with 9.4%, the South at 8.2% and the Northeast struggling at 4.8%.  (How much due to an abnormally long winter of snow and ice?)  Finally, the sales volume by price range probably addresses the health of income wage earners for the foreseeable future.  Since loans applicants are being properly vetted and there is no real stated income product out there, these purchase price quadrants warrant some belief that we have had a true recovery not just in real estate but in jobs, since real estate ultimately reflects job stability.  For the U.S. the increases in volume by price range are as follows (numbers are per $1,000): 1) 100-250=3.6%  2) 250-500=17.4%  3) 500-750=14.5%  4) 750-1 million=12.5%  5) 1 Million + =8%.  It is debatable whether we will continue to see a run up in both prices and volume as Americans anticipate the rise in interest rates.  Although the Fed has made it clear that any such rises will be gradual so as not to disrupt the economic revival.  Some economists feel the price increase has already been factored in as 30 year rates already rose the first week of July to their highest for the year, in the low 4 percentile range.  One thing is for sure, and that is that home ownership is alive and well, and as this column predicted months ago, the Millennium  Generation will continue to be a large part of the engine that drives it.