Existing home sales in the United States increased 0.2% in May compared to the previous month, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.3 million, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) stated in a report on Thursday.
Meanwhile, sales dropped 20.4% compared to a year ago when they stood at 5.4 million. The median existing-home price for all housing types in May was $396,100, down 3.1% from the same month in 2022. Total housing inventory at the end of May rose 3.8% to 1.08 million.
"Mortgage rates heavily influence the direction of home sales," Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist stated. "Relatively steady rates have led to several consecutive months of consistent home sales," he added.