US home prices fell -1.4% month-over-month in November and -4.3% year-over-year according to the latest report from research firm CoreLogic. The year-over-year drop in October was -3.7%. The declines come following some reasonably encouraging news for homebuilders like PulteGroup Inc. (NYSE: PHM), KB Home (NYSE: KBH), DR Horton Inc. (NYSE: DHI), and others.
Excluding sales of distressed homes, that is short sales and real-estate owned properties, prices declined -0.6% year-over-year in November, compared with a decline of -1.6% in October.
Including distressed sales, the biggest price drops occurred in Nevada (-11.2%), Illinois (-9.7%), Minnesota (-7.8%), Georgia (-7.7%) and Ohio (-7.2%). Excluding distressed sales, the largest declines occurred in Nevada (-8.8%), Arizona (-4.9%), Minnesota (-4.7%), Idaho (-4.1%) and Georgia (-3.6%)
Some states are showing home price appreciation as well. Including distressed sales, home prices improved the most in Vermont (+4.3%), South Carolina (+2.8%), District of Columbia (+2.1%), Nebraska (+1.9%) and New York (+1.7%). Excluding distressed sales, the five states showing the greatest price appreciation were Maine (+4.9%), South Carolina (+4.9%), Montana (+3.8%), Indiana (+3.3%) and Louisiana (+2.4%).
Paul Ausick