WASHINGTON — U.S. home resales fell in September after hitting a two-year high in August, in part because there were fewer homes available for sale.
The National Association of Realtors said Friday that sales dipped 1.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.75 million. That’s down from a rate of 4.83 million in August, which was the highest in more than two years.
Sales are still up 11 percent from a year earlier. They remain below the more than 5.5 million pace that economists consider consistent with a healthy market.
Still, the housing market is recovering after a six-year slump. Economists expect sales will rebound in October, noting that mortgage applications have picked up after falling in August.
“We view the dip (in sales) as a pause in an otherwise improving trend,” Jonathan Basile, an economist at Credit Suisse, said in an e-mail to clients.
Sales have improved from last year, helped by record-low mortgage rates and steady gains in home prices in most metro areas. Home prices are more stable because there are fewer foreclosures, and a low supply of homes has made some markets more competitive.
The inventory of homes for sale fell in September to 2.32 million. It would take 5.9 months to exhaust the supply at the current sales pace, the lowest sales-to-inventory ratio since March 2006.
Economists noted that rising prices could spur more homeowners to put their homes on the market, which could fuel more sales.
