Each month, Fannie Mae conducts a survey of Americans asking for their opinions on the housing market and economy, including whether they think it’s a good time to buy or sell a home, whether they think mortgage rates and home prices will go up or down, and whether they feel secure in their jobs and financial situation. The resulting Home Purchase Sentiment Index is a good gauge of where public sentiment is and how Americans feel about real estate right now. According to the most recent results, consumer sentiment was little changed from last month. In fact, the overall index was flat month-over-month. Among individual results, the share of participants who said it’s a good time to buy a house fell 1 percent, while the share who say it’s a good time to sell was unchanged from the month before. Similarly, the share of consumers who say they believe home prices will go up over the next year was also unchanged, though there was an increase in the number of respondents who believe mortgage rates will rise. (source)
