The Housing Market Index report came out yesterday and showed a 2 point increase over April's report.
This follows on the heels of a 5 point jump in April's report. 
Yesterday this news was viewed as a very positive sign for the future direction of the housing market. Fast forward to today, the Housing Starts report came out and showed that starts fell dramatically going to lows not seen since 1959. Housing Starts fell 12.8% in April, 8.5% in March.
The pain was felt most in the Northeast, Midwest and South as the West showed the best news with a 42.5% increase in starts.
To put these numbers into context you need to realize that this(Housing Starts) statistic is a lagging indicator, meaning that it takes a while for any rebound to actually show up in these numbers. Having said that, inventories in many parts of the country are very high. Again, real estate is local, very local.
Here in the Burbank/Toluca Lake/Glendale real estate areas inventory is high in some of the higher price points, but if you look at the 400-550k market, inventory is not bloated at all. Properties that are priced well are selling quickly as there are many buyers at this price range.
This market is unlike any we've seen before and can be very confusing for both buyers and sellers. There is no doubt that pricing is key to selling properties quickly. The take away should be that these numbers can be interesting, but really don't tell you much about your real estate area.
If you really want to know what's going on in a particular neighborhood and at specific price points you need to drill down and study the inventory, recently sold homes, pending homes to gain insight on the true picture. Ask your realtor if there are multiple offer situations, if so at what price points. All of these statistics help give you a much better picture, which is important for sellers looking to price their home for a quick sale and for buyers wanting to present offers that get accepted.
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Real estate agent for Burbank, Glendale,Hollywood Hills, Toluca Lake, Studio City and surroundings. I specialize in residential properties and focus on delivering excellent customer service the in
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