Weekly Market Activity Report

In another sign that the six-year long housing slump could be coming to an end, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) reached 28.  To put that in perspective, it went from above 70 in 2005 to below 10 in 2009. The HMI has not seen 28 since June 2007. This and other landmark data points are coalescing to signal calmer waters ahead. That's not to say you should expect double-digit annualized appreciation, but both buyers and sellers are displaying the sort of confidence that is fluttering through the rest of the economy.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending March 17:
• New Listings decreased 1.3% to 1,406

• Pending Sales increased 23.1% to 1,029

• Inventory decreased 27.5% to 17,088