Alan Zibel, AP Real Estate Writer
USA Today
WASHINGTON — Home prices rose in 40% of U.S. cities in the fourth quarter of last year, as massive federal spending helped the housing market show signs of stability, a real estate industry group said Thursday.
The National Association of Realtors said that the median price for previously occupied homes sold rose in 67 out of 151 metropolitan areas in the October-December quarter vs. a year ago. That’s a sharp improvement from the third quarter, when prices rose in only 20% of cities surveyed.
The national median price was $172,900, or 4.1% below the fourth quarter last year. That was the smallest year-over-year price decline in more than two years.
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