Existing Home Sales

Previous: 4.03M

Forecast: 4.1M

Existing home sales measures the change in the annulized number of existing residential buildings that were sold. This is a key indicator of the strength of the housing market. Higher than expected existing home sales is bullish, while lower than expected existing home sales is bearish.

Existing home sales in the US which include completed transactions of single-family homes, town homes, condominiums and co-ops jumped 14.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.58 million in February 2023, snapping a 12-month slide and representing the largest monthly percentage increase since July 2020. Markets were expecting a smaller 5 percent rebound. The median existing-home sales price decreased 0.2% from the previous year to $363,000. The inventory of unsold existing homes was unchanged from the prior month at 980,000 at the end of February, or the equivalent of 2.6 months' supply at the current monthly sales pace. "Conscious of changing mortgage rates, home buyers are taking advantage of any rate declines," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. "Moreover, we're seeing stronger sales gains in areas where home prices are decreasing and the local economies are adding jobs." source: National Association of Realtors