margostanleyrealestateupdate

Pending Home Sales Rise in January to Highest Level in 18 Months

WASHINGTON (February 27, 2015) — Improved buyer demand at the beginning of 2015 pushed pending home sales in January to their highest level since August 2013, according to the National Association of REALTORS^®. All major regions except for the Midwest saw gains in activity in January.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, climbed 1.7 percent to 104.2 in January from an upwardly revised 102.5 in December and is now 8.4 percent above January 2014 (96.1). This marks the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year gains with each month accelerating the previous month's gain.

Casco Bay waters rose by 5 inches during a peak period in 2009-10, and more extreme fluctuations are likely, increasing the threat of coastal flooding.There are plenty of nay-sayers willing to argue this point, but a team of scientists has documented a five-inch rise in sea level in the Portland area in the two-year period between 2009 and 2010. In that same period, the average sea-level rise in the Northeast region between New York and Newfoundland was a corroborating 3.9 inches. 

You can read the full article from the Portland Press Herald titled "Ocean scientists report ‘unprecedented’ spike in sea level off Portland several years ago."