Listen: Expiration Of Homebuyers' Tax Credit Could 'Cripple' Growth In Home Sales

There are signs the housing market in Massachusetts and the region may lead the nation out of the housing slump.

Figures from the National Association of Realtors out last week said existing home sales jumped 36 percent in the Northeast last month from the year before. That's compared to a 27 percent increase nationally.

It was up 31 percent in Boston, where the median price was also up 13 percent, to $315,000.

Economists say the $8,000 federal housing tax credit fueled some of the boom. But that credit expires later this week.

To explore what could happen to the market when the credit runs out, WBUR was joined by Vincent Valvo, the editor-in-chief of Banker and Tradesman, and the group publisher of the Warren Group, which tracks home sales in the state.