PENDING HOME SALES RISE ACROSS NATION, SOAR IN ARIZONA

I just returned from a convention in LA with famed real estate motivated and trainer, Tom Ferry. Top agents from across the country were present to learn and share what's happening in their markets. The tone was up beat, all agents were reporting tremendous activity in their markets. Some are seeing bidding wars where 20 offers bid a home 20% over asking price the first few days on the market.
Nationally, the news rocking Wall Street yesterday was that Pending Home Sales Index had risen 3.2%, greater than expected and is 1.1% higher than this time last year. I am not sure what the rest of the country is experiencing, but the reports from agents were good. Here in the Phoenix metro area, I have been tracking the market in a spread sheet since 2005. I track only single family homes, don't like the tricky maneuvers of condo conversions and the like to mess with my numbers. Last year at this time. we had 7,292 single family home pending in our market place. This year, we have 15,563. That increase is well over 100%, actually around 113%. FOLKS THE MARKET IS RECOVERING. I can't believe how slow the press and Wall Street are to actual numbers.
The article below is from WWW.CNBC.COM
Pending sales of existing U.S. homes rose in March for a second straight month, a private survey showed on Monday, supporting views the housing market was close to hitting a bottom.
Meanwhile, US construction spending rose a slim 0.3 percent in March in the first increase since September, according to government data that beat analysts' forecasts of a 1.5 percent drop.
AP
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The National Association of Realtors Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in March, rose 3.2 percent to 84.6. February's pending home sales index was slightly revised down to 82.0 from 82.1.
Compared to the same period a year ago, pending home sales rose 1.1 percent.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast pending home sales to be flat in March.
Read the rest of the storey: http://www.cnbc.com/id/30559126

Just my opinion...Jeff Cameron