Total home sales in 2014 should increase at a healthy rate, signaling a sustained rebound in the housing market, according to Freddie Mac, which says the sharp increases in home prices reflect true market conditions rather than a new bubble.
According to Freddie Mac's most recent Economic and Housing Market Outlook, home sales will reach 5.85 million next year, a 6-percent jump from 2013. This follows a nearly 10-percent jump in sales from 2012.
The report acknowledges that the "relatively rapid rebound in (home) values has raised the specter that values have grown too fast too soon. As we see it, residential property values remain consistent with fundamental economic forces in the housing market."
The only sour note is the projected sharp decline in mortgage refinancing activity. Refis are expected to account for 62 percent of loan originations this year, dropping to 41 percent next year. As a result, total loan originations also are expected to drop from $1.8 trillion this year to $1.35 trillion in 2014.
Michael Lewis is Managing Editor at the National Notary Association.