Home prices rise in 20 major cities as buyers rush to obtain tax credit

WASHINGTON (AP) — US home prices rose in most major cities in October compared with a year ago, pushed up by rising sales and a decline in the supply of available homes. Higher prices show the housing market is improving even as it moves into the more dormant fall and winter sales period. The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller national home price index released Wednesday increased 4.3 percent in October compared with a year ago. That’s the largest year-over-year increase in two and a half years, when a homebuyer tax credit temporarily boosted sales.

CoreLogic released its Home Price Index (HPI) report today for May, with the follow

WASHINGTON — U.S. sales of previously occupied homes rose solidly in October, helped by improvement in the job market and record-low mortgage rates. The increase along with a jump in homebuilder confidence this month suggests the housing market continues to recover. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that sales rose 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million. That’s up from 4.69 million in September, which was revised lower. The sales pace is roughly 11 percent higher than a year ago.

WASHINGTON — A measure of U.S. home prices jumped 5 percent in September compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year increase since July 2006. The gain reported by CoreLogic offered more evidence of a sustainable housing recovery. The real estate data provider also said Tuesday that prices declined 0.3 percent in September from August, the first drop after six straight increases. The monthly figures are not seasonally adjusted. CoreLogic says the monthly decline reflects the end of the summer home-buying season and not a softening in the housing recovery.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Average ne

This morning we saw two huge housing data points. Home prices posted their biggest gain since July 2006, while new home sales surged 15.6 percent month-over-month.