Data out of Miami and Broward communicate differing messages on housing's health.

At the same time that pending home sales are rising in Miami-Dade county, Broward is seeing a decrease in the same area. Fortunately, according to HousingWire, Miami-Dade has more in common with national trends – nationally, the Pending Home Sales Index rose 6.4 percent to 84.5 in September, up from 79.4 the previous year, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The index fell 4.6 percent from the previous month, which was recorded at 88.6.

Miami-Dade’s cumulative pending home sales, including single-family homes and condominiums, rose 11 percent this September from last year: the sales this year were at 11,296, up from 10,219 a year ago according to the Miami Association of Realtors (MAR) and the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) systems. Pending sales had been looking even better in August–the September value for Miami-Dade is down 5 percent from the previous month.

Broward county, on the other hand, has not had as great of luck this year. Broward pending sales decreased .3 percent from last September to this one, falling from 7,719 to 7,693. The county had been heading toward an increase, with 7,894 pending sales in August, until it fell 3 percent by the time September rolled around.

Yet, MAR chairman Jack H. Levine claims that the Miami-Dade values mirror the more robust closed sales activity that the MAR continues to experience in South Florida regions.

“Strong demand from domestic, international and second home buyers is not diminishing, as buyers and investors take advantage of the amazing opportunities currently available in the Miami real estate market,” Levine said.