U.S. home prices unexpectedly climbed month over month in February, ending seven consecutive months of price declines, as buyers came back into the market.
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price index rose 0.2% in February compared with the previous month, according to data released on Tuesday. On a yearly basis, the index climbed 2.0% in February — lower than the 3.7% annual gain recorded in January. The index remains 4.9% below its June 2022 peak.
Regionally, the cities that saw the largest price increase over last year were in Miami, Tampa, and Atlanta, with year-over-year gains of 10.8%, 7.7%, 6.6%, respectively.
The national price growth jibes with earlier data showing a boost in home purchase activity in February. Existing home sales that month jumped 14.5% to an annualized rate of 4.58 million, the National Association of Realtors reported in March. That ended a 12-month slide in purchases and marked the biggest monthly percentage increase since July 2020. Buyers came back into the market at the start of the year as mortgage rates fell and sellers who kept their homes on the market offered more incentives.
The Southeast remains the country’s strongest region, with price gains of 7.8% in February, according to S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price index.
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