Tax Credit A Strong Stimulant For Exisiting Home Buyers In April

Existing home sales soared in April as existing home buyers rushed to take advantage of the tax credit that expired at the end of the month.

On Monday, the National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales jumped 7.6% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.77 million units, up from a rate of 5.36 million in March. Sales year-over-year were up 22.8%.

Even though the jump was widely anticipated, it still beat forecasts. The consensus among economists was that resales in April would only rise at an annual rate of 5.65 million units.

The median price of all existing homes also rose in April. Existing home sales tally the number of previously constructed homes, condominium and co-ops in which a sale closed during the month.

Details of the report show comparable gains for both single-family homes, up 7.4%, and condos, up 9.1%. The Northeast led the regional breakdown of gains.