The delinquency rate on home loans fell slightly between the first quarter and the second, credit-data firm TransUnion reported this week.
The rate stood at 6.67 percent during the last quarter, down from 6.77 percent in the first three months of the year. While the 1.48-percent drop in delinquencies may hint that conditions are improving in the nation's real estate market, prices have stagnated - and may in fact be falling in some parts of the country.
Altos Research, a real estate pricing analytics company, reports that home prices in the 10 cities that make up its composite index slipped 0.63 percent between June and July. Home inventories, meanwhile, are rising: In 22 of the 26 major housing markets, inventories swelled last month.
Altos' near-term outlook for the housing market isn't positive. "As the market continues to correct itself, and as we head into the seasonally weak fall and winter months, expect more increases in inventory, and likely deepening declines in asking prices," the company said.
Altos' findings suggest that the market will remain sluggish for some time. At the same time, though, the TransUnion data hints that conditions should eventually improve.
