The Case-Shiller 10 and 20-City Home Price Indices for October were released on December 31. Although home prices in most cities continued to show year-over-year gains, the pace of home price appreciation is expected to slow in 2014.
Year-over-year increases have been in double digit territory since March 2013, but month-to-month readings suggest that the rate of increasing home prices is slowing.
According to David Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, “…the monthly numbers show that we are living on borrowed time and the boom is fading.”
The 10 and 20 city indices are showing that home prices some cities that were showing little or no growth in 2013 are posting higher rates of appreciation, while growth in cities that have shown very high increases in home prices are beginning to lose momentum.
Year-over-Year Growth In Double Digits
The 10-and 20-city indices each posted year-over year gains of 13.60 percent between October 2012and October 2013. These were the highest year-over-year gains since February of 2006.
Home prices recovered to mid-2004 levels in October, but remained 20 percent lower than peak home prices seen in June and July of 2006.
Here are figures for 10 cities showing the highest increases in home prices year-over-year in October 2013:
City Y-O-Y Growth Rate
Las Vegas, NV 27.10 %
San Francisco, CA 24.60%
Los Angeles, CA 22.10%
San Diego, CA 19.70%
Atlanta, GA 19.00%
Phoenix, AZ 18.10%
Detroit, MI 17.30%
Miami, FL 15.80%
Tampa, FL 15.20%
Seattle, WA 13.10 %
Home prices in the 10 and 20-city indices have gained 23.10 percent and 23.70 percent since home prices reached their lowest points in March 2012.
Month-To-Month Readings Indicate Slower Growth
Month-to-month readings show a slowing trend in home price growth. 18 of 20 cities included in the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices showed slower growth in October as compared to September’s readings.
The Federal Reserve will begin tapering its asset purchases this month and will continue doing so unless economic conditions slow to a point where the Fed considers tapering counter-productive to economic growth.
Concerns over the tapering of “quantitative easing” and higher mortgage rates are seen as contributing to slower gains in home prices.
Although some analysts have identified indicators of economic growth, most seem to agree that home prices are likely to increase by single-digit percentages in 2014.