The MBS Highway National Housing Index was up in December from a November low. The improvement was driven by a 7 point rebound in home buyer activity. The 1% drop in 30 year mortgage rates in the last six weeks brought some buyers back into the market. In late October/early November, I did not know what I would be selling in December in the Chattanooga area, but I will end December selling 3 properties. I am very thankful that interest rates have declined over the past 6 weeks. The inventory of homes for sale is still tight, so home prices are not going down. Barry Habib, MBS Highway Founder and CEO, thinks, "there is reason to be optimistic," in 2024 with inflation decreasing and the Federal Reserve cutting rates.
The Federal Reserve met on Wednesday, December 13th and are now penciling in 3 rate cuts in 2024 according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Greater Chattanooga Realtors also released their November home sales numbers recently. Those numbers showed a 4.2% increase in pending homes sales, which will mostly close in December. At the same time, closed home sales were down by 7% in November mostly due to the high interest rates in late October. New listings and the monthly supply of inventory have both gone up, so now may be a good time to see what new housing possibilities you can find.
Call Nathan to sell or buy your home in 2024