Existing-home sales fall to three-month low, while prices retreat

Nathan Howard/Bloomberg

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes fell to a three-month low in April, restrained by limited inventory and ongoing affordability concerns.

Contract closings decreased 3.4% last month to an annualized pace of 4.28 million, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors. The figure was in line with the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

"Home sales are bouncing back and forth but remain above recent cyclical lows," Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist, said in a statement. "The combination of job gains, limited inventory and fluctuating mortgage rates over the last several months have created an environment of push-pull housing demand."

While inventory picked up amid the spring selling season, elevated borrowing costs paired with limited listings are restraining sales. With mortgage rates about twice as high as they were at the end of 2021, many sellers are still reluctant to list their houses and some buyers are sidelined.

The number of homes for sale rose to 1.04 million, up 1% from a year ago. Still, inventory was nearly double that in April 2019. At the current sales pace, it would take 2.9 months to sell all the properties on the market. Realtors see anything below five months of supply as indicative of a tight market.

There are signs the housing market is beginning to stabilize. Homebuilder sentiment has been on the rise for the past five months as more buyers look to new construction in the low-inventory environment. Separate data this week showed single-family housing starts climbed to a four-month high in April. 

The median selling price of a previously owned home fell 1.7% from a year ago, the biggest drop since 2012, to $388,800. However, prices rose in the Northeast and Midwest.

"Even in markets with lower prices, primarily the expensive West region, multiple-offer situations have returned in the spring buying season," Yun said.

Mortgage Rates

Elevated borrowing costs also remain a key hurdle for many prospective buyers. Separate data out Wednesday showed mortgage rates rose to a two-month high last week.

And while some Federal Reserve officials have indicated they may pause their tightening campaign as soon as next month, how long rates will remain elevated is unclear.

Nearly three-fourths of homes sold were on the market for less than a month. Properties remained on the market for 22 days on average in April, down from 29 days in March.

Sales of single-family homes slid to an annualized 3.85 million pace. Existing condominium and co-op sales also edged lower.

Digging Deeper

• Sales fell in all four regions, led by the West and the South
• First-time buyers made up 29% of purchases in April, up from the prior month but still historically low
• Cash sales represented 28% of total sales. Investors, who often purchase with cash and are therefore less sensitive to mortgage rates, made up 17% of the market, the same as a year ago

Existing-home sales typically account for the vast majority of U.S. housing and are calculated when a contract closes. Data on new-home sales, which make up the remainder, are based on contract signings, will be released next week.