U.S. existing-home sales, prices fall; King County prices rise

WASHINGTON — U.S. sales of existing homes fell in December, closing out a year in which sales of single-family homes plunged by the largest amount in 25 years. Nationally, the median home price dropped for the entire year, the first time that has occurred in four decades.

The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of single-family homes and condominiums dropped by 2.2 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.89 million units.

King County followed that trend, as the sale of both new and resale houses and condominiums fell 34 percent year-over-year in December, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

For the year, sales nationwide of single-family homes were down by 13 percent, the biggest drop since a 17.7 percent plunge in 1982. In King County, they were down 15 percent.

The median price nationwide for a single-family home dropped 1.8 percent to $217,000That was the first annual price decline on records going back to 1968. Lawrence Yun, the Realtors' chief economist, said it was likely that the country has not experienced a decline in housing prices for an entire year since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

King County's prices bucked the national pricing trend, posting 7.1 percent appreciation for single-family houses.

The new U.S. figures underscored the severity of the slump in housing, which has been battered for the past two years after enjoying a boom in which sales set records for five consecutive years.

The housing bust has sent shock waves through the entire economy as defaults have risen, resulting in multibillion-dollar loses for big financial firms whose investments in subprime mortgages have gone sour.

There is a concern that the housing and credit troubles could be enough to push the country into a full-blown recession. After global stock markets experienced a sharp sell-off earlier this week, the Federal Reserve announced a bold three-quarter point cut in a key interest rate and held out the promise of more rate cuts to follow.

For December, sales were down in all regions of the country. Sales fell by 4.6 percent in the Northeast, 1.7 percent in the Midwest, 1 percent in the South and 2.1 percent in the West.

The inventory of unsold homes dropped by 7.4 percent, raising hopes that backlogs that had hit record levels were starting to be reduced, a key factor necessary to prompt a rebound in the market.

While Yun said he expected sales to start to rebound this spring, other analysts said housing is likely to remain in the doldrums throughout most of 2008, reflecting in part the credit crunch, which has caused lenders to tighten their standards, making it harder for prospective buyers to qualify for loans.

Seattle Times business reporter Elizabeth Rhodes contributed King County data to this story.