Home Prices on the Rise Amid Low Inventory Levels and High Demand

The latest report from CoreLogic showed that home prices continued to rise at a much faster pace than previously expected, growing 2.0% in March. On a year-over-year basis, the growth stood at 5.9%, the fastest pace since last July. CoreLogic predicts that prices will rise 0.8% in April, and that the year-over-year growth will tick down to 5.4%.

Unusually low inventory levels and a coinciding increase in demand are driving the prices of existing homes higher. Faster-growing prices are both good and bad news. The bad news is that the higher pace of home price increases may put a dent in the affordability of existing homes, which is something that has the potential of slowing down the housing recovery. The good news is that it is reassuring to see many new buyers who feel financially secure and confident enough to buy a home, even at higher prices. Faster price growth also helps existing homeowners to emerge from their underwater mortgages. According to CoreLogic, current home prices are still 11% below their April 2006 peak. More important, as faster-growing prices hurt the affordability of existing homes, the demand might shift toward new homes. The gap between existing-home prices and new home prices had grown unusually wide and declines in that gap could bolster the construction sector. That, in turn, could provide a direct boost to the GDP and employment. CoreLogic predicts that the price growth of existing homes may moderate later this year and that the prices may increase by about 5.1% from March 2015 to March 2016.

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Dan Colburn can be reached at dan@colburnwm.com or 740-831-4004