Positive Real Estate Signs

NAR released its pending home sales index figure last week, and for the second month in a row, the index is up. What's more, the index has broken 100. That's significant because the only other time the index has hit 100 in recent years is when the home buyer tax credit was available. "It is the natural, organic power of great affordability conditions and job creation that is bringing the index level up," says NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. "This is a very encouraging sign."   NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun is upbeat about 2012 because in a number of areas indicators are pointing upward. Not only are home sales up but housing starts are up and home prices are stabilizing in many markets and heading up in some. In areas where they’re still down, the declines aren’t that great. More fundamentally, broader U.S. economic signs are looking positive, including the all-important jobs picture. About 100,000 job are being created a month, and that could rise to 150,000—still not a quick enough pace to get us back to where we were before the downturn but the headwinds are in the right direction.