Here are some recent positive signs for home buyers and sellers:
- Existing-home sales rose 1.1 percent in 2017, which ended up being the best year for sales in 11 years, according to the National Association of Realtors.
- The Pending Home Sales Index rose 0.2 percent in November and remains at its highest reading since June, according to the National Association of Realtors.
- An estimated 1,152,300 housing units were completed in 2017. This is 8.7 percent above the 2016 figure, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- Home purchase applications in 2017 ended 3 percent higher than at the end of 2016, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.
- Buying a median-priced home is more affordable than renting a three-bedroom property in 54 percent of U.S. counties analyzed, according to a new report released by ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm.
