by Calculated Risk on 10/31/2018 01:08:00 PM

The Case-Shiller house price indexes for August were released yesterday. Zillow forecasts Case-Shiller a month early, and I like to check the Zillow forecasts since they have been pretty close.

From Skylar Olsen at Zillow: August Case-Shiller Results and September Forecast: A Slowdown in Home Prices

The Case-Shiller home price index climbed 5.8 percent in August from a year earlier, marking the first time in 12 months that home price gains have dropped below 6 percent.

It’s more welcome news for would-be home buyers, who must be breathing a collective sigh of relief that home price growth finally has slowed. Softening appreciation after the rapid growth of just a few months earlier is a sign that fierce competition is dying down. Potential buyers who were intimidated during the heat of the market may find the breathing space now to make a calm, considered decision about whether to lock in a mortgage before rates rise further.

Zillow forecasts an even slower 5.5 percent annual gain for September.

The Zillow forecast is for the year-over-year change for the Case-Shiller National index to be smaller in September than in August as house price growth slows.