Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed last month as rising prices and a dearth of homes for sale kept some would-be buyers on the sidelines.
The National Association of Realtors said Monday that existing homes sales in February fell 6.6% from January to a seasonally-adjusted rate of 6.22 million annualized units.
Sales were up 9.1% from February last year. Home prices continued to climb, driven by sales of higher-end homes. The report showed that the U.S.
median home price was $313,000 in February, up 15.8% from a year earlier. The red-hot housing market has left the number of available properties for sale at record lows, which has contributed to sharp increases in home prices.