Despite the virus that’s infiltrated all segments of life across the globe, home prices remain strong in the U.S. According to the Radian Home Price Index (HPI) that was recently released, in the first six months of the year, home prices increased at an annualized rate of 6.3 percent. The Radian HPI increased 8.1 percent year-over-year—just slightly over the 7.8 percent increase reported last month.
In June, the median home price increased to $256,740. During the second quarter of 2020, home prices increased 6.6. percent on an annualized basis. On a regional basis, the first half of 2020 experienced positive results for all areas, but the Midwest and West reported the strongest markets, while the Northeast and Southwest have weaker markets in relation to home price.
In the Northeast, New Hampshire and Maine had increasingly strong home-price momentum in 2020, but Connecticut continues to lag behind. In the South, Tennessee and Georgia recorded the strongest price appreciation rates, while Florida was the weakest in the region. In the West, Utah and Washington had strong price appreciation performance. And in the Midwest, Indiana, Minnesota and Missouri helped drive the region’s lead.
“While there has been localized volatility in home prices during the pandemic, prices overall have remained quite resilient. After gains across the U.S. slowed in May, the first half of the year ended on an impressive note, especially given the significant headwinds real estate transactions have faced,” noted Steve Gaenzler, SVP of Data and Analytics.
