Greater Boston asking prices, for example, rose 2.3 percent in the first part of the spring market through the end of March, compared to the last three months of 2011.
Asking rents, though, are rising at four times that rate, jumping 9.3 percent in the Boston area through March compared to the end of 2011. In fact, asking rents in Middlesex County, home to the western suburbs, jumped 9.7 percent during the first quarter, making it No. 8 in the country.
We are outpacing the rest of the country now in terms of price and rent increases – nationally Trulia reported a 1.9 percent first quarter increase in asking prices and a 5.6 percent jump in asking rents.
So what does this all mean?
Based on rising asking prices, the major housing market indexes, which are still in negative territory, could start turning positive this summer, Calculated Risk notes.