California Home Sales Continue to Rebound

NEW YORK (BankingMyWay) -- Has the U.S. housing industry finally turned the corner?

Possibly, but don't bet your three bedroom ranch on it. At least not yet.

Recent indicators do point to a rebound. The latest positive data, from the California Association of Realtors, shows that pending home sales in the most populous state -- and one of the states hardest hit by the economic downturn -- rose by double digits from May 2011 to May 2012.

May was the fourth-straight month of double-digit housing sales gains in California, on a year-over-year basis.

California saw a 11.2% spike in home sales over the May-to-May time period, which is good news for homeowners. That's welcome news not just from San Diego to San Francisco, but all over the country. Why? Because California, given its huge population base, is widely considered a leading indicator for the entire U.S. housing market.

"Despite a slowdown in economic growth in recent months, sales in California remain strong as record low mortgage rates and favorable home prices continue to fuel demand in the housing market," said LeFrancis Arnold, CAR's president, in a release. "The strong results in pending sales -- double-digit year-over-year gains in the last nine out of 10 months -- suggest solid housing market performance for the state in the upcoming months."

California realtors aren't alone in taking a bullish stance on housing.

The Commerce Department data on new home sales released on Monday showed a 7.6% rise in May from April, or 369,000 homes. It was the best month for new homes sales since April 2010 when the expiring first-time homebuyer tax credit was nearing expiration leading to increased, albeit short-term, buying.

Recent National Association of Realtors data and commentary has been similarly encouraging.

Year-over-year U.S. home sales were up 9.6% from May 2011 to May 2012, the NAR reported. A 1.5% decline in nationwide home sales from April to May that the NAR tracked might not be cause for concern, either.

"The slight pullback in monthly home sales is more likely due to supply constraints rather than softening demand," says Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist. "Even with the monthly decline, home sales have moved markedly higher with 11 consecutive months of gains over the same month a year earlier."