U.S. home prices rose 0.9% in May after a 1.3% monthly increase in April, according to the CoreLogic housing price index.
The CoreLogic HPI, which is not seasonally adjusted and includes distressed sales, is up 2.9% since May 2009. Excluding distressed sales, the year-over-year price increase for May was 0.9%.
"Home price appreciation stabilized as homebuyer tax credit driven sales peaked in late spring," said Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic. "But given that the labor market and income growth remain tepid, we expect prices to moderate and possibly decline the rest of the year," he said.
The top five states with the highest price appreciation in May, including distressed sales, were: California (7.9%), Virginia (6.8%), Massachusetts (5.7%), Rhode Island (5.5%) and Vermont (5.1%).
The top five states with the greatest price depreciation in May, including distressed sales, were: Idaho (-6.6%), Alabama (-5.3%), New Mexico (-4.2%), Maryland (-3.1%) and Wyoming (-3.1%).
