Lawrence Yun forecast a 14% increase in sales at an annual industry conference in Houston.
“The shutdown is over,” Yun said, referencing the record-breaking 43-day government shutdown that ended last week. “Expect some of the deals that did not go through during the shutdown to now slowly catch up.” Yun’s overall message on Friday: Slightly better times are on the way for the housing market.
It’s a reversal from the message he delivered just about five-and-a-half months ago at another of the group’s conferences. “The recovery has been delayed,” Yun said in June.
In Houston, though, Yun was more optimistic. “The forecast is that it looks like this year is a bummer, no increase in unit sales at all,” he said. “Next year is really the year you see some measurable increase in sales.