Some recent positive signs for homebuyers and sellers:
• As of January, existing-home sales were higher than a year ago for the fourth straight month, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
• According to NAR, a rise in buyer demand pushed pending home sales up in January to the highest level since August 2013.
• A new Reuters poll of economists predicts that home sales will pick up in the second quarter and then maintain a brisk pace for the rest of the year.
• Thirty-eight of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, are now showing an improving three-month trend in housing activity, according to Freddie Mac’s latest Multi-Indicator Market Index.