Dive Brief:

• Balancing those who suspect that the housing market recovery may not be as solid as the industry hopes is D.R. Horton, which reported earnings and said it can hold prices everywhere without offering incentives — even raising them in some markets.
• When executives spoke with analysts to discuss the quarter ended Dec. 31 (the first fiscal quarter for Horton), they said sales contracts were up 4% and running ahead of the company's expectations.
• Horton had said that if sales softened, it might begin an incentive program to keep buyers coming in — and that likely would have set a trend for the industry because Horton is the nation's largest builder in terms of houses sold.

Dive Insight:

The company signed 5,454 contracts in the last three months of 2013. The performance led chief executive Donald Tomnitz to tell financial analysts and business reporters,"I feel that we're right on the cusp of a strong spring-selling season." The National Association of Realtors says that period —​ February through mid-June —​ accounts for about 58% of the home-buying contracts in the U.S.