By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

With warm weather and spring in the air, much like flowers home buyers are popping up all over. And the real estate market has already begun to see a marked increase in home sales.

According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) most recent report, existing home sales “rose strongly in February following a healthy gain in January.” The nation saw an almost 4% increase in home sales in February, the report says.

David Lereah, NAR’s chief economist, explains the positive trend this way: “Some of the rise in home sales may be from mild weather that brought out shoppers in December, but fundamentals have improved in the housing market and buyers see a window now with historically-low mortgage interest rates and competitive pricing by sellers.”

That time of year
And the positive trend is likely to continue. The prime season for selling is just getting under way. According to Philadelphia-area Keller Williams real estate agent Maureen Hughes, the spring and summer months have historically been  the most popular times to relocate.

“It’s amazing,” Hughes says. “One day we notice that everyone is out looking at houses. I guess it’s because the holidays are behind us, the Superbowl is  over, and the ‘dog days of ice and snow’ are gone.”

There are other factors too. Having some extra hours of sunlight after work to look at houses doesn’t hurt. “Homes just show better in the spring and summer months when everything is green and alive,” Hughes says.

“People want to get everything in order in the spring so (with the time it takes to close) they can move in the summer. Of course, schools have a bearing on that too. People look to move in between school years so the adjustments are easier on the children and the whole family.”