BY JANN SWANSON
Expectations were high for a strong pending home sales report to
christen the New Year. Those expectations were more than
satisfied. The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) says its
Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) jumped 4.6 percent, climbing
to 103.2 in January from 98,7 in December. It was the first gain in
four months. The surge was not enough however to provide an
annual increase. The Index still lags its January 2018 level by 2.3 percent, marking the 13th straight month of year-over-year losses.
A Surprise in Pending Sales Kicks Off 2019