Contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes rose in March for the first time in nine months, a sign the housing market could be stabilizing after suffering a setback from a rise in interest rates and a severe winter.
The National Association of Realtors said on Monday its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed last month, increased 3.4 per cent to 97.4, the most since May 2011 and first gain in nine months, after a 0.5 per cent drop in February that was smaller than initially reported.
Existing home sales had fallen to their lowest levels in more than 1-1/2 years, but details of Monday’s report suggested the downward trend in sales had probably run its course, with housing inventory rising and more first-time buyers coming into the market.
Despite last month’s surge, pending home sales were still down 7.9 per cent compared to March of last year.
Contracts increased in the Northeast, in the South and in the West. They fell in the Midwest.
