Housing picture brightens in California

By Jim Carlton                                                                                                                            TheWall Street Journal

With the state's median price rising for the second consecutive month in April, and sales of existing, single-family homes remaining above the 500,000 level for the eighth month in a row, California is being closely watched as a barometer of the economy.  Some economists believe these two factors indicate the state's median price could be at or near the bottom.

MAKING SENSE OF THE STORY FOR CONSUMERS

·    Sales of existing, single-family homes increased 49.2 percent in April in California compared with the same period a year ago, according to the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®' (C.A.R.) April sales and price report.
                                                                                                                                                                    ·      As the level of unsold inventory declines, the state's median price will likely stabilize.  Inventory levels for homes in the under $500,000 segment shrank to nearly three months in April, compared with almost 10 months a year ago, while unsold inventory in the more than $1 million segment rose to approximately 17 months, compared with roughly 10 months in April 2008.

·      The median price of an existing, single-family detached home in California during April 2009 was $256,700, an increase of 1.4 percent compared with the prior month, but a 36.5 percent decrease from the revised $404,470 median of a year ago.

·      Favorable home prices in many parts of the state have led to an increase in affordability for first-time buyers.  In the first quarter of 2009, affordability rose to 69 percent, enabling many to take advantage of first-time buyer programs and near record-low interest rates.