U.S. home sales slip in Feb.

Wintry weather, rising prices, higher rates likely behind fall

3/21/2014

WASHINGTON — Sales of U.S. existing homes slipped in February to their lowest level since July, 2012, as severe winter weather, rising prices, and a tight supply of homes discouraged buyers.

The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales declined 0.4 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.6 million. That was the sixth decline in the last seven months.

Freezing temperatures and snowstorms likely kept many buyers from visiting open houses. And higher mortgage rates have weighed on sales since last fall.

Still, there were some signs that the market could pick up in the coming months. Sales improved in the South and West, where weather was less of a factor. And more people decided to sell, boosting the supply of available homes 6.4 percent to 2 million.

“Once we get past this messy period, housing should assume its role in supporting overall growth,” Jennifer Lee, an economist at BMO Capital Markets, wrote to clients.

Home prices are rising despite the sluggish sales, a sign that the number of homes for sale remains low. The median sales price has risen 9.1 percent in the last year, the Realtors said, to $189,000.

Investors are accounting for an increasing share of purchases, while first-time buyers remain historically low. All-cash sales, which are mostly by investors, rose to 35 percent of purchases in February, up from 32 percent a year ago.

First-time buyers accounted for only 28 percent of sales in February, slightly more than in January. That’s far below the 40 percent that’s typical of a healthy market. First-time buyers are being held back by tight credit standards and high levels of student loan debt, the Realtors said.

In Ohio, the number of homes sold in February fell 4.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ohio Association of Realtors.

It was the second consecutive decline after 30 consecutive months of year-over-year gains.

The average home price of $130,082 was 4 percent higher than February, 2013.

In Lucas and northern Wood County, sales were down 24 percent in February from a year earlier, and the average price fell 8 percent to $94,037.