Pending home sales dropped in May, down 2.7% from April.
Month over month, contract signings decreased in three U.S. regions but jumped in the Northeast.
Pending home sales fell in all four regions compared to one year ago.
The Northeast PHSI climbed 12.9% from last month to 66.7, a decrease of 21.9% from May 2022. The Midwest index dropped 5.3% to 74.4 in May, down 23.5% from one year ago.
The South PHSI decreased 4.4% to 94.4 in May, reducing 19.6% from the prior year. The West index lessened 6.1% in May to 58.4, falling 26.6% from May 2022.
***The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes.
Existing-home sales recorded a minor gain of 0.2% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.30 million. Sales retreated 20.4% from one year ago.
The inventory of unsold existing homes grew 3.8% from the previous month to 1.08 million at the end of May, or the equivalent of 3.0 months' supply at the current monthly sales pace.
NAR leaders say a temporary capital gains tax reduction on a sale of investment property can lead to a boost in housing inventory.
Existing-home sales in the Northeast declined 2.0% from April to an annual rate of 500,000 in May, down 25.4% from May 2022. The median price in the Northeast was $439,000, up 2.5% from one year ago.
In the Midwest, existing-home sales faded 2.9% from one month ago to an annual rate of 990,000 in May, decreasing 20.8% from the previous year. The median price in the Midwest was $298,000, up 1.1% from May 2022.
Existing-home sales in the South expanded 1.5% from April to an annual rate of 2.02 million in May, sliding 16.5% from the prior year. The median price in the South was $361,400, down 2.7% from May 2022.
In the West, existing-home sales rose 2.6% from the previous month to an annual rate of 790,000 in May, down 25.5% from one year ago. The median price in the West was $596,500, down 5.7% from May 2022.
***Existing-home sales, which include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, are based on transaction closings from Multiple Listing Services.
Source: National Association of Realtors (NAR)