D/FW Home Sales Climb 11%!

Dallas-Fort Worth home sales climb 11%

By STEVE BROWN

Pre-owned home sales in North Texas were up 11 percent in October from a year ago - the first year-over-year gain since September 2008 and the best sign yet that the local housing market has turned the corner.

Real estate agents sold more than 6,300 single-family homes through the Multiple Listing Service last month, according to numbers released Monday by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University and the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems.
October's increase was only the second year-over-year rise in home sales in three years.
Housing analysts say there's no doubt that the shift was fueled by the federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers.

"Clearly, the $8,000 tax credit has brought additional buyers into the market," said Ted Wilson of Dallas-based Residential Strategies Inc. "The news from the housing sector is turning more positive.

"And the outlook for the next eight months looks quite bright as well," he said.