ShareA monthly survey of REALTORS® about their transactions in February 2015 indicated an improvement in most local markets despite harsher winter conditions. The REALTOR® Confidence Index-Current Conditions, the REALTOR® Confidence Index-Six-Month Outlook, and the Buyer Traffic Index all increased in February 2015 and were above the 50 mark, indicating that more local markets were strengthening.
REALTORS® were upbeat about the outlook for the next six months, with confidence boosted by the improving job market and recent measures to make credit more available through lower mortgage insurance premiums (0.5 percent cut) for FHA-insured loans and lower down payment (3%) for GSE-backed conventional loans. However, tight inventory in many areas, especially for “affordable” and “good” houses, remained a major bottleneck to the housing market’s growth.
