Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

Thank goodness; perhaps, finally, we will stop 
being battered with B.S. bubble babbling.


Supply and Demand Nearly Balanced In Overall U.S. 
Housing Market for First Time Since 1998

RISMEDIA, April 7, 2006­For the first time in 
eight years, the overall U.S. housing market is 
experiencing a rare balance between home buyer 
demand and home seller supply, according to 
HouseHunt’s latest “Current Market Conditions” quarterly survey.

Only 45% of respondents reported more buyers than 
sellers, compared to a 61%-39% ratio six months 
ago. Thirty-one percent reported more sellers 
than buyers; the remaining 24% said their markets 
are almost evenly divided. In the South, the 
Midwest, the Northeast and in California, the 
buyer-seller ratio closely matches the national figures.

National survey results from HouseHunt member 
agents in 47 states mirrors the latest monthly 
sales activity reported by the National 
Association of Realtors (NAR), which estimated 
the nation’s supply of unsold homes at 5.3 months 
for both January and February. An inventory of 
5.5 to 6.0 months is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers.

“The last time we experienced a balanced housing 
market was in January, 1998, when we had a 6.4 
month supply of unsold homes,” said Walt Molony, 
a NAR spokesperson. “The record for the lowest 
inventory was in January of 2005, when we reported a 3.7 month supply.”

The full article is at:
http://www.rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/14117/1/1/