For the second straight month, pending home sales rose in April to 97.8 from 97.4, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), an indicator based on signed contracts., reports worldpropertychannel.com. Although the index is 9.2 percent below April 2013, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says, “Higher inventory levels are giving buyers more choices, and a slight decline in mortgage interest rates this spring is raising prospective home buyers’ confidence. An uptrend in closed sales is expected, although some months will encounter a modest setback.”

Regionally, the PHSI for the Northeast rose slightly, +0.6 percent to 79.3 in April, while in the Midwest the index rose 5.0 percent to 99.2, MHProNews understands. Pending home sales in the South fell 0.6 percent to 111.9; the West fell 2.9 percent in April to an index of 88.4. All regions are 6.9 percent to 15 percent below April 2013 indexes. Annual existing home sales are anticipated to be below the 5.1 million last year. ##

(Image credit: etftrends.com)