Housing Prices Are Moving On Up

MAKING SENSE -- September 27, 2011 at 5:35 PM EDT

Housing Prices Are Moving On Up

Tempe Home for Sale. A home for sale in Tempe, Ariz. Flickr photo by 'Nick Bastian Tempe, AZ.'

Moving on up. Or more like "creeping." That's one way of wording the latest Case-Shiller housing price numbers, up 3.6 percent since their 20-city index bottomed out in March. Prices are still down from one year ago, however, and back almost exactly to where they were in the summer of 2003, before the mortgage-backed securities run-up began. But prices have moved onward and upward, for the fourth consecutive month. Given the economic albatross that housing has been, it's certainly good news if the bird is off our back.

Interactive by Justin Myers.

This entry is cross-posted on the Making Sen$e page, where correspondent Paul Solman answers your economic and business questions. Follow Paul on Twitter.

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