The number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase previously occupied homes rose 5.2 percent in July but remained well below last year's levels. And the average rate for a 30-year fixed loan fell to 4.32 percent this week, the lowest level in decades.
The National Association of Realtors said Thursday its seasonally adjusted index rose 5.2 percent from a month earlier to a reading of 79.4. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected the index would fall to 74.9.
The index was still down 19 percent from the same month last year. June's reading was the lowest on records dating to 2001. It was revised slightly downward to 75.5.
The index provides an early measurement of sales activity because there is usually a one- to two-month lag between a sales contract and a completed deal.
High unemployment, weak job growth and tight credit have hurt the housing market. Sales picked up in the spring when the government was offering tax credits of up to $8,000. However, once the tax credits expired on April 30, sales plunged.
"The recovery looks to be a long process, " Lawrence Yun, the Realtors' chief economist, said in a statement. "For those who bought at or near the peak several years ago, particularly in markets experiencing big bubbles, it may take over a decade to fully recover lost equity."
The sales report was driven by a nearly 12 percent jump in the West and a more than 6 percent increase in the Northeast. Sales were up 4 percent in the Midwest and about 1 percent in the South.
Though mortgage rates have been at or near the lowest level in decades, the economy remains weak. Plus, many buyers have been scared away by the prospect that home prices could start to turn downward again - something that most analysts expect.
The index tracks signed sales contracts for previously occupied homes. A reading of 100 is equal to the average level of sales activity in 2001, when the index started.
Mortgage Rates Fall Again
Mortgage rates fell to the lowest level in decades for the tenth time in 11 weeks, as investors worried about the economy.
The average rate for a 30-year fixed loan was 4.32 percent this week, down from 4.36 percent last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. That's the lowest since Freddie Mac began tracking rates in 1971.
The average rate on 15-year fixed loan dropped to 3.83 percent from 3.86 percent the previous week. That's the lowest on records starting in 1991.
Rates have been falling since spring as investors have shifted money into safer Treasury bonds. That has lowered their yields, which mortgage rates tend to track.
The low rates have fueled a wave of refinancing by borrowers. Refinancing is at its highest level since May 2009 and makes up almost 83 percent of all new loans, its highest share since January 2009.
People seeking lower rates helped boost mortgage applications by 2.7 percent last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association announced Wednesday.
However, the low rates haven't been enough to lift the struggling housing market. Home sales are at the lowest level in more than a decade. Potential buyers are holding off purchases, worried about jobs and the economy. Some are having trouble meeting tighter lending standards.
To calculate the national average, Freddie Mac collects mortgage rates on Monday through Wednesday of each week from lenders around the country. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a given day.
Average rates on five-year adjustable-rate mortgages fell to 3.54 percent from 3.56 percent the week before. Rates on one-year adjustable-rate mortgages fell to an average rate of 3.50 percent from 3.52 percent.
The rates do not include add-on fees known as points. One point is equal to 1 percent of the total loan amount. The nationwide fee for loans in Freddie Mac's survey averaged 0.7 a point for 30-year and 1-year mortgages. They averaged 0.6 of a point for 15-year and 5-year mortgages.
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