U.S. Existing-Home Prices Hit Record High in May

U.S. home prices in May experienced their biggest annual increase in more than two decades, as a shortage of properties and low borrowing rates fueled demand.

The median existing-home sales price in May topped $350,000 for the first time, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. The figure was nearly 24% higher than a year ago, the biggest year-over-year price increase NAR has recorded in data going back to 1999.

Sales prices have been climbing sharply since last summer, when lockdowns related to the Covid-19 pandemic eased across the country and...