Housing activity slowed in February

Housing activity in Johnson County ran smack into an iceberg in February, according to the latest data from the County Economic Research Institute.

Two of the housing indicators tracked in the report — home sales and building permits — dipped in the middle of winter, and a third indicator showing home-sale prices edged higher but only slightly.

According to the report, home sales in February fell 8.7 percent from the same month in 2013. Of the 484 homes sold in the month, 424 were previously owned homes and 60 were new.

Housing permits — a sign of future sales activity — declined 25.5 percent for the month, with 82 permits issued.

On the plus side, the average price of homes sold in the country climbed 2.5 percent in February. The average price of new and previously owned homes sold was $251,900, the report said.

In other economic data, the value of construction activity in the county fell 38.3 percent in February to $57.8 million.

In addition, the county’s unemployment rate in February stood at 4.9 percent. By comparison, the unemployment rate in Kansas was 5.5 percent for the month. Kansas City’s jobless rate was 6.9 percent in February, the report said.

This story was originally published May 6, 2014 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Housing activity slowed in February."