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Home Sales Plunge to 4-Year Low

Inventory glut, rising mortgage rates bode ill for quick rebound

By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser User

Posted Jun 25, 2007 6:27 PM CDT

(Newser) – Sales of existing homes fell again last month, while the number of homes languishing on the market hit a 15-year high. The median price sank to $223,700, the AP reports, and thanks in part to the woes of the subprime mortgage sector, overall sales were 10.3% below last year's numbers. Says one analyst: "Don't look for a bottom anytime soon."

The numbers came as a relief to Wall Street, where there had been fears of an even sharper decline. Experts say the only way to reduce inventory of existing homes, which make up about 85% of the market, is for sellers to embrace price cuts—which hasn't happened so far.

 file)
file)   (Associated Press)
A for sale sign rests in front of a house, Tuesday, April 24, 2007, in Lyndhurst, Ohio. Sales of existing homes plunged in March by the largest amount in nearly two decades, reflecting bad weather and increasing problems in the subprime mortage market, a real estate trade group reported Tuesday....
A for sale sign rests in front of a house, Tuesday, April 24, 2007, in Lyndhurst, Ohio. Sales of existing homes plunged in March by the largest amount in nearly two decades, reflecting bad weather and...   (Associated Press)
An overgrown sign sits on the lawn of an old house for sale in  Newtown, Penn., Wednesday, May 30, 2007.  Reflecting further housing troubles, sales of existing homes fell in May to the lowest level in four years while the median home price dropped for a record 10th consecutive month....
An overgrown sign sits on the lawn of an old house for sale in Newtown, Penn., Wednesday, May 30, 2007. Reflecting further housing troubles, sales of existing homes fell in May to the lowest level in...   (Associated Press)
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