The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that pending home sales for both single-family homes and condominiums went up for the 20th straight month in December compared to the year before. For the entire year, the number of single-family homes put under agreement in 2012 was up 25 percent over 2011. Pending sales figures (also called homes under agreement) are a leading indicator of actual housing sales in Massachusetts for the following 2-3 months.
“Buyers in 2012 ‘walked the walk’ in terms of entering the market and making offers on homes,” said 2013 MAR President Kimberly Allard-Moccia, broker-owner of Century 21 Professionals in Braintree. “The positive end-of-year numbers are encouraging to moving us that much closer to a market recovery.”
The number of single-family homes put under agreement in December was up 15.6 percent compared to the same time last year (2,648 homes in 2011 to 3,062 homes in 2012). This is the 20th straight month of year-over-year increases. On a month-to-month basis, single-family homes put under agreement went down 21 percent compared to 3,861 homes put under agreement in November.
The number of condos put under agreement in December was up 5.6 percent compared to December 2011 (1,019 units in 2011 to 1,076 units in 2012). This is the 20th straight month of year-over-year increases. On a month-to-month basis, condos put under agreement went down 25 percent from 1,440 units in November.
Year-End Pending Sales: There were a total of 48,064 single-family homes put under agreement in 2012, which was up 25 percent compared to 38,502 single-family homes put under agreement in 2011. The number of condominiums put under agreement in 2012 was up 26% compared to 2011 (14,893 units in 2011 compared to 18,706 units in 2012).
About Pending Sales: The tracking of signed purchase and sales agreements (also called “pending sales”) provide reliable information about where the real estate market is heading in coming months.
A pending sale or a sale “under agreement” is when the buyer and seller agree on the terms of the sale of a home and have a signed purchase and sale agreement, but have yet to close and be recorded as such. MAR is the only organization which compiles this statewide information from Multiple Listing Services each month.
About the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®: Organized in 1924, the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® is a professional trade organization with more than 18,000 members. The term REALTOR® is registered as the exclusive designation of members of the National Association of REALTORS® who subscribe to a strict code of ethics and enjoy continuing education programs
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