I recently attended the National Association of Realtors (NAR) conference in Boston.  Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR, presented his 2019 housing forecast at this convention.  Below are some of the key points.

• 2017 had the highest home sales activity in 10 years.  While many realtors feel they are currently experiencing a “slow down”, the reality is total sales in 2018 are only down 1.5% YTD compared to 2017. 
• Typically, rising interest rates would impact home sales, however, as we are in a period of job growth and low unemployment, this cancels out the impact of higher rates.  2019 is predicted to be similar to 2018, with sales forecasted for a 1% increase.
• The national median home price is expected to rise 3.1% to $266,800 in 2019.
• Low supply could continue to suppress sales, especially for first time buyers.
• The US is experiencing historically normal levels of affordability but buyers may be staying out of the market because of perceived problems with affordability. 

 Bottom line, Dr. Yun forecasts 2019 home sales to be stable and similar to 2018, with continued growth in sales prices.  Contact me if you want to work with a realtor who stays on top of trends and issues facing buyer and sellers today!  603-526-4116, Donna@DonnaForest.com, www.DonnaForest.com

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