S&P/Case-Shiller (April) and DataQuick (May)

Yesterday's April 2010 S&P/Case-Shiller was overall pretty flat trend for both Los Angeles and the 10-city Composite.

Overall Los Angeles (including Orange County) was up 0.68% from March, after being down 0.70% from February and 0.67% from January, (compared with up 0.92% from December, 0.99% from November, 0.77% from October, 0.30% from September, 0.85% from August, and 1.6% from July), now down 37.3% from its September 2006 peak, at November 2003 levels. The national (orange line, their original 10-city Composite) index is down 30.5% from its peak in June 2006.

The Low, Middle, and High tiers are again available and graphed; the high tier was almost exactly flat for the month (up a whole 0.01%). The left column on the chart is peak to bottom; the right is peak to current month.

The DataQuick numbers for May show three of the four counties up for the month, but more from sales of higher-priced houses than price increases:

The median price paid topped $300,000 for the first time in 20 months, largely because the ultra bargains have been drying up in the low-cost inland areas while sales have increased in the pricier coastal neighborhoods....

Los Angeles County's median was at $345K, down 37.3% from its peak in August 2007. For what it's worth (given the changing mix), that left Los Angeles County at December 2003, Orange County prices at January 2004, Ventura County at May 2003, and San Diego County at August 2002.

Finally, here is the updated Los Angeles Case-Shiller index scaled with the Los Angeles DataQuick median price history (normalized Case-Shiller's January 2000 = 100). The Case-Shiller data is a month older and a three-month average.

In general prices continue pretty flat since mid-2009, and likely to fall again as tax credits end, interest rates rise, and more foreclosures make it to market.