May Pending Sales Show Seasonal 0.7% Rise From April; 53.7% Year-Over-Year Surge Reflects Last Year’s Lull After Tax Credit Deadline. Median Sales Price Rises Higher At Second Slowest Rate Year-To-Date In Decade

Rockville, MD –(June 10, 2011) – The following analysis of the Baltimore Metro Area housing market has been prepared by housing market expert Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel, based on the May 2011 RBI Pending Home Sales Index™ released today:

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OVERVIEW:

Buyers and sellers signed 2,731 contracts in the month of May, 0.7% more than in April and 53.7% more than during the same month last year.  The month-over-month increase in newly signed contracts was consistent with seasonal trends but the year-over-year spike was an anomaly as a result of last year’s 48.7% April to May drop in pending sales after the April 30 federal homebuyers tax credit-related contract signing deadline expired.  While the median sales price increased 3.2% to $221,950 in May 2011 from the prior month, it remained 5.1% below the median sales price of $234,000 in the same month last year.  Median sales has edged 5.7% higher since January, the second lowest rate of increase in a decade.

On May 31st, I wrote about the DC version of the Case Shiller Index and how it doesn't reflect the actual Washington, DC metro area housing market like RBI data does.

Yesterday and this morning I also posted a three part series on the MRIS Blog with more specifics. Take a look: