Asking prices rose for the sixth consecutive month in Trulia's Price Monitor, in what economist Jed Kolko has called one of the best signs yet for a housing price recovery.

By Peter Ricci

Real estate website Trulia is reporting that, boosted by fewer housing vacancies and relatively impressive job growth, asking prices have risen in its Trulia Price Monitor for the sixth straight month.

A leading indicator on home price trends, Trulia based the findings on for-sale homes on its site in the country’s largest metro areas through July 31.

Asking Prices, Rents Both Rise in July

In addition to asking prices, Trulia also tracked the price of rental units in its Trulia Rent Monitor, and found that the increase in rent nationwide surpassed that of home asking prices. Some of the key findings included:

• From June to July, asking price increased 0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted. It was the sixth straight monthly increase for asking prices on Trulia.
• Quarter-over-quarter, the increase was even stronger, rising by 1.2 percent, and excluding foreclosures, it was stronger still year-over-year at 2.7 percent.
• The majority of large metros (62 of 100) had a year-over-year increase, the first time that’s happened.
• The demand for rentals continued to push rents skyward, with rents increasing 5.3 percent nationally and in 24 of the nation’s 25 largest rental markets. In San Francisco, Miami and Houston, for instance, rents posted respective year-over-year increases of 12.4, 11.3 and 8.5 percent.

The Future Recovery in Housing

Jed Kolko, Trulia’s chief economist, said all the signs in Trulia’s report point to an optimistic future for housing.

“The housing price recovery looks stronger than at any other point since the bust,” Kolko said. “These price and rent increases, along with declining vacancies, should encourage new construction, which means housing will finally start contributing to the economic recovery.”

Shannon Register, the broker/owner of Register Real Estate Advisors, said she has been seeing prices rise in the Houston area, but those increases have spotlighted what continues to be one of the more persistent problems in real estate – appraisals.

“We are seeing increases in home sale prices in many areas in and around Houston at different price points, which is leading to an increase in listing prices,” she said. “Lately, the issue has not been finding a buyer, it has been the appraisal. As homeowners are getting higher prices for their homes, the appraisers continue to base values on previous winter and spring sales and last year’s foreclosures, which are causing issues for buyers and sellers that have already come to terms on a sale price.”