Home prices in metro Atlanta continued a slow gain in June from a generational low, rising back to their September1998 values.
The Standard and Poor's Case-Shiller Home Price Index shows all three measures — the 10-city, 20-city and national index — ended the second quarter of 2012 with positive growth rates. That is the first time that has happened since the summer of 2010.
The good news for metro Atlanta is that prices rose for the third month in a row, up 4.4 percent in June. The bad news is the region's housing lost so much value in months before the rise that they remain 12 percent lower than where they were in June of last year.
But the overall trends encouraged market watchers.
"We seem to be witnessing exactly what we needed for a sustained recovery, monthly increases coupled with improving annual rates of change," said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee.
"The market may have finally turned around."
Top gains
Detroit 6 percent
Minneapolis 4.8 percent
Chicago 4.6 percent
Atlanta 4.4 percent
Lowest gains
Las Vegas 1.5 percent
San Diego 1.1 percent
Dallas 1.3 percent
Charlotte 1 percent
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