By Lisa Prevost | The New York Times
While existing home sales are up nearly 5 percent from last year, economists say activity would likely be more brisk if it weren’t for the negative equity overhang that has lately worsened in many markets.
Completed sales on existing homes rose 4.7 percent in February compared with a year ago, reaching an annual rate of 4.88 million, according to the National Association of Realtors, a 1.2 percent increase over January. But Mark Fleming, the chief economist at First American Financial Corporation, a national provider of title insurance and settlement services, says his research tells him that home sales ought to be even higher. The labor market has improved considerably. And home prices are higher, which, though it may sound counterintuitive, have historically correlated with rising home sales, he said.
