Understanding Seasonal Housing and Appreciation Trends

CoreLogic’s Home Price Index showed that home prices nationwide rose 0.02% in September, and they were also 3.4% higherwhen compared to September of last year. CoreLogic forecasts that home prices will fall 0.1% in October and rise 2.3% in theyear going forward, though their forecasts tend to be conservative. ICE (formerly known as Black Knight) also reported that national home values rose 0.14% in September after seasonaladjustment, with their index showing that prices are 2.9% higher than a year ago.

What’s the bottom line?
Fall usually brings less competition in the housing market because families with school-age children liketo be settled ahead of a new school year. While this season is typically the softest for home price growth, these reports showthat appreciation remains healthy overall, and homeownership continues to provide wealth creation opportunities.