Only Detroit, Washington, D.C., post annual increases among 20 markets
By Inman News, Tuesday, October 25, 2011
U.S. home prices stayed virtually flat in August compared to July and fell compared to a year ago, according to the latest Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices.
While Case-Shiller’s 20-City Composite saw its fifth monthly rise in August, the month’s increase was a slight one, at 0.2 percent. The index fell 3.8 percent compared to August 2010.
Half of the 20 metro areas tracked by the index saw month-to-month declines in August, most of them slight. Atlanta saw the biggest monthly index drop, down 2.4 percent, followed by Los Angeles (-0.4 percent).
Washington, D.C., posted the biggest monthly increase (1.6 percent), followed by Chicago and Detroit (1.4 percent each). On a yearly basis, only two metro areas saw increases: Detroit (2.7 percent) and Washington, D.C. (0.3 percent). Despite the increases, Detroit’s home prices remain at their 1995 levels, according to the report.
Minneapolis saw the biggest year-over-year drop (-8.5 percent), followed by Phoenix (-7.7 percent) and Portland, Ore. (-7.6 percent).
Sixteen of the 20 metros tracked saw their annual rates of change improve in August, which represents “a modest glimmer of hope” for the housing market, said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P Indices, in a statement.
“In spring and summer’s seasonally strong period for housing demand, we cautioned that monthly increases in prices had to be paired with improvement in annual rates before anyone could declare that the market might be stabilizing,” Blitzer said.
As in July, Las Vegas once again posted a new index low in August, down 59.5 percent from its August 2006 peak. The 20-City Composite overall was down 30.8 percent from peak.
| Metro area | Index level (Aug. 2011) | Change from July | Change from a year ago |
| Atlanta | 102.04 | -2.4% | -6.3% |
| Boston | 155.59 | -0.1% | -1.7% |
| Charlotte | 112.66 | 0.2% | -3.4% |
| Chicago | 119.4 | 1.4% | -5.8% |
| Cleveland | 101.84 | 0.3% | -4.8% |
| Dallas | 117.21 | 0.2% | -1.9% |
| Denver | 126.47 | 0.4% | -1.6% |
| Detroit | 73.41 | 1.4% | 2.7% |
| Las Vegas | 95.18 | -0.3% | -5.8% |
| Los Angeles | 169.38 | -0.4% | -3.5% |
| Miami | 140.75 | -0.3% | -4.6% |
| Minneapolis | 115.62 | 0.4% | -8.5% |
| New York | 169.19 | 0.4% | -3.4% |
| Phoenix | 100.43 | -0.1% | -7.7% |
| Portland, Ore. | 135.91 | 0.1% | -7.6% |
| San Diego | 154.91 | -0.2% | -5.5% |
| San Francisco | 135.2 | -0.1% | -5.3% |
| Seattle | 137.09 | -0.3% | -6.1% |
| Tampa | 129.51 | -0.1% | -5.8% |
| Washington, D.C. | 187.57 | 1.6% | 0.3% |
| 20-City Composite | 142.84 | 0.2% | -3.8% |
Source: S&P Indices and Fiserv
Santa Fe Home Prices Unchanged
September real-estate search results are in and Santa Fe was the 132nd most-searched market in the country, based on data released recently by Realtor.com, a home-for-sale real-estate website.
Median list prices for homes in Santa Fe hit $399,000 in September, unchanged from a year ago, and unchanged from this August. The national median list price this September was $190,000, a 1.60 percent increase compared to September 2010.
Active-for-sale inventory of homes in Santa Fe in September leveled out at 1,966, — a 19.64 percent decrease compared to a year ago. National inventory counts for September were 2,193,170, a 20.09 percent decrease as compared to September 2010.
The median age of inventory in Santa Fe in September was 136 days, a 6.25 percent increase compared to August. Nationally, the median age of inventory was 107 days, a 3.88 percent increase compared to August.
For details on all 146 MSAs monitored by Realtor.com in September 2011, visit http://www.realtor.com/data-portal/Real-Estate-Statistics.aspx