* Number of U.S. homes listed for sale fell in May
* Amount of time properties are on the market dropped
* Median asking prices rose in May
WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) – U.S. home buyers are
snapping up houses at a faster pace this spring, but many
homeowners remain reluctant to sell until prices edge up, data
released on Wednesday showed.
The number of homes listed for sale fell 20.1 percent last
month from a year earlier to 1.88 million, Realtor.com reported.
“You’re seeing sellers sit on the sidelines in certain
markets where there are homeowners with little to no equity in
their homes. They aren’t bringing their home to market,” said
Steve Berkowitz, CEO of Realtor.com, the official website for
the trade group, the National Association of Realtors.
However, owners who put their homes up for sale raised their
asking prices for a fourth straight month in May, a signal of
growing confidence in the budding housing recovery.
The nationwide median asking price rose 1.9 percent from
April to $194,400, the highest level in more than two years and
up 3.2 percent from the year-ago level.
U.S. home prices are down more than 30 percent from their
2006 peak, but they appear to be bottoming out. The closely
watched SP/Case Shiller index of prices in 20 metropolitan
areas gained 0.1 percent in March on a seasonally adjusted
basis, though it was still down 2.6 percent from a year ago.
The volume of sales has also moved higher, with sales of
previously owned homes hitting a two-year high in April.
“People are very selective of how and when they are putting
their homes on the market, which are keeping prices reasonable,”
said Berkowitz. “The market is still fragile, and there’s a bit
of uncertainty.”
The inventory of properties on the market often goes up
during the spring selling season, but the number of homes for
sale in May was down in most of the 146 markets tracked by
Realtor.com. Half of them saw a 20 percent year-over-year drop.
The properties that are on the market are moving quicker.
In May, the median time properties spent on the market dropped
9.8 percent from a year ago to 83 days.
“To get more inventory on the market will take improved
consumer confidence. It will take the belief that prices have
bottomed,” said Berkowitz.
Asking prices fell in 24 markets on an annual basis, led by
Reading and Allentown, Pennsylvania, where they fell 5.4 and 5.3
percent, respectively, and Milwaukee, where they were down 5.2
percent.
Phoenix reported the largest year-over-year jump in asking
prices – 32.6 percent – followed by Santa Barbara, California,
where they rose 30.1 percent, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, where
they were up 24.06 percent.
The figures compiled by Realtor.com include sale listings
from more than 900 U.S. multiple-listing services.