Housing market logging gains
By Stella M. Hopkins
shopkins@charlotteobserver.com
The Charlotte-area housing market continued posting gains in January, with home prices and sales now showing several months of steady increases.
The average sales price last month was $200,592, up 6.1 percent from January 2009, according to results released Wednesday by the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association. That’s the third consecutive month with a gain and slightly stronger than the December increase, for transactions through the association’s Carolina Multiple Listing Services.
The number of houses, townhouses and condos sold last month rose 8 percent from a year ago during the deepest part of the slump. January marked the fourth month of sales gains and is particularly notable because it is typically a slow month.
The number of pending contracts – deals signed but not yet closed – was about the same as a year ago. However, pendings were up 25 percent from December, a sign of rising demand. Experts expect sales will strengthen through the spring, in part because of several hefty tax credits for deals signed by April 30.
No comments:
Post a Comment