Gulf Shores home sales have fallen to their slowest pace in nine months, with sales of existing homes tumbling 4.9 percent last month.
Relatively low mortgage rates and steady job growth have not yet spurred the kind of activity from buyers or sellers, raising the possibility of either a spring rush, or another year of slack Gulf Shores home sales.
Nationwide, few properties are being listed for sale, would-be-buyers are holding off, and the harsh winter weather is taking its toll on attempts to hold open houses.
Gulf Shores Home Sales Expectations Not Happening
Weaker Gulf Shores home sales in 2014 had set up expectations of a strong rebound in 2015, but so far, that resurgence has yet to appear. Even the addition of more new jobs over the past three months has failed to make much of an impact on overall Gulf Shores home sales.
Builders haven't started ramping up any new construction either. Confidence among builders in the market for single-family homes in February fell two points to a level of 55 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released recently. Any number over 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good rather than poor.
Average mortgage rates have held well below 4 percent for weeks, which you would think bodes well for a rejuvenated housing market in the spring. But only time will tell.
Gulf Shores home sales are not the only area where numbers are down. Sales slid in all four major geographical regions of the country last month: dropping 6 percent in the Northeast, 2.7 percent in the Midwest, 4.6 percent in the South and 7.1 percent in the West.
In the meantime, you can get more information about news that may affect the Gulf Shores home sales market in our section on Gulf Shores Real Estate to your right under Gulf Shores Real Estate Categories.
Remember, we post tips daily to Twitter, and also on our Facebook Page. We'd love you to check us out there too.