Housing Market Continues To Improve

Read: Housing Market Forecast 2013 http://useconomicoutlook2013.com/the-us-housing-market-economy-forecast-2013.php

If I had to guess, I would say that a majority of people in the country still view the housing market in a negative light. They note the still-large overhang of foreclosed properties, the still-low rate of new housing starts, and the still-depressed level of housing prices in many parts of the country. But that is looking at the market from a static viewpoint. On the margin, there have been some very important improvements in the housing market over the past 18 months. It's hard for me to believe that these changes are ephemeral — they have all the makings of a clear turnaround that is underway and likely to continue.

The chart above shows the results of a monthly survey of home builders' perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months. Even though home builders' sentiment is still below 50 — which signifies that somewhat more builders still view conditions as poor rather than good — the improvement in the index so far this year has been dramatic.

There may be lots of housing inventory "waiting in the wings," but currently, the number of homes for sale is relatively small compared to the current rate of sales. Again, dramatic improvement on the margin.

The chart above shows the fraction of homes for sale that are vacant. While still somewhat high from an historical perspective, there has been a significant decline in the number of vacant homes for sale this year.

As this chart shows, the stocks of major home builders have increased significantly from their lows of October 2011 — up 94%. Stocks are still depressed from their bubble highs of 2005, but the recovery from the lows has been dramatic.

Read: Housing Market Forecast 2013 http://useconomicoutlook2013.com/the-us-housing-market-economy-forecast-2013.php

Article Source: SeekingAlpha