Washington, D.C. – U.S. house prices fell 0.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from July to August, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s monthly House Price Index. The previously reported 0.8 percent increase in July was revised to reflect no change. For the 12 months ending in August, U.S. prices fell 4.0 percent. The U.S. index is 19.1 percent below its April 2007 peak and roughly the same as the February 2004 index level.
The FHFA monthly index is calculated using purchase prices of houses backing mortgages that have been sold to or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. For the nine census divisions, seasonally adjusted monthly price changes from July to August ranged from -1.3 percent in the West North Central division to +0.9 percent in the South Atlantic division.
Monthly index values and appreciation rate estimates for recent periods are provided in the table and graphs on the following pages. Click here for complete historical data.
For detailed information concerning the monthly HPI, please see the HPI Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The next release will be on Nov. 29, 2011 and will include monthly HPI data for September 2011 and quarterly HPI data for the third quarter 2011. Release dates for the remainder of 2011 and 2012 are available here.
Corinne Russell (202) 649-3032 / Stefanie Johnson (202) 649-3030