One of the most popular questions being asked of Realtors currently is “When will home prices begin to increase?”  Though real estate remains one of the most localized industries recently three national index have announced they believe home prices will begin to appreciate in the next few years. Think of their answer as more tortoise than hare, but remember who won the race!

The three separate reports that have been published in the last 60 days: the Home Price Expectations Survey (HPES), the Urban Land Institute Real Estate Consensus Forecast (ULI) and the Demand Institute’s Report (DIR): The Shifting Nature of U.S. Housing Demand. 

Is the Housing Market really bouncing back? The National Association of Realtors certainly believes so. NAR recently released their March 2012 Pending Home Sales Index (a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings) and their numbers do show a strong March. According to this report (you can get their report HERE) March 2012 is shows an increase of sales contract signings of 12.8% above March 2011. The Index’s score of 101.4 is the highest score since April 2010.

The full store from NAR can be seen HERE.