Joanne Mangold, president of the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors (DMAAR), is pointing to this year’s brutal winter as a reason for a positive housing market during February, and said March and April could be even better as federal housing credits draw to a close.

Pending sales in February were higher than any February since 2006, according to DMAAR statistics released today.

“Some of that activity is the result of the federal government’s tax incentives, but I think many (sales) are the result of cabin fever,” Mangold said in a release. “People have been holed up in their homes all winter long, and they’re just ready for a change.”

Written contracts were up 33 percent from January and closed contracts were up 17 percent from the prior month. The average sale price rose 8.4 percent to $151,534 during the month.

Mangold predicted that more houses will go on the market, and that prices will likely go up in March and April as both buyers and sellers seek to take advantage of the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit.

That program gives a tax credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, and up to $6,500 to current homeowners purchasing a new or existing home between Nov. 7, 2009, and April 30.

“And that also means that we should see homes selling more quickly as buyers rush to beat the incentive deadlines,” Mangold said. “Market conditions, low interest rates, tax incentives and the confidence people have in the Des Moines home market mean that it’s a great time to make that change by buying a new home.”

For more information about the Des Moines housing market, click here.