There was some glumness in the latest news on housing prices. There shouldn’t be. Slower home price rises — and in some markets, outright declines — are a sign the housing market is starting to move past the boom-and-bust cycle of the last dozen years toward a market where sensible prices driven by local economic conditions prevail.
The S.&P./Case-Shiller home price index showed prices rose 8.1 percent in 20 major cities in the 12 months ended in June, the lowest rate of increase since 2012. Compared with May’s prices, national home prices actually declined oh-so-slightly, by 0.1 percent, with six major metropolitan areas reporting price declines of more than 1 percent.
via Why a Slowdown in Housing Prices Is Great News – NYTimes.com.
