The percentage of Americans who say it’s a good time to sell a house rose 26 percent year over year, according to the December results of Fannie Mae’s monthly Home Purchase Sentiment Index. The survey – which asks Americans what they think about buying or selling a home, mortgage rates, home prices, their jobs, and household income – was relatively flat from the month before. However, year-over-year comparisons show a large spike in the number of respondents who think it’s a good time to sell – while the number who believe it’s a good time to buy saw a significant drop. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s senior vice president and chief economist, says the results may be a sign that the housing market will soften this year. “The HPSI’s underlying components changed dramatically in the last 12 months – particularly the two related to home-buying and home-selling sentiment – and we have seen the index drift slightly downward since March 2021, an indication that the housing market may begin to soften in the coming year,” Duncan said. (source)
