US home sales fell in July; some buyers see silver lining

US home sales fell in July; some buyers see silver lining

FILE - A "for sale" sign hangs from a post outside of a vacant business building in Belleville, N.J., Thursday, May 3, 2018. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday, July 27, raised its benchmark interest rate by a hefty three-quarters of a point for a second straight time in its most aggressive drive in three decades to tame high inflation. By raising borrowing rates, the Fed makes it costlier to take out a mortgage or an auto or business loan.(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

 (AP) — The housing market’s comedown from its high-flying days early this year is deepening, with home sales in July falling for the sixth straight month. Sharply higher mortgage rates, surging inflation and prices that remain near all-time highs are making homes less affordable. The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales fell 20.2% from July last year, reaching the slowest pace since May 2020, near the start of the pandemic. But the slowdown has begun to tip the homebuying equation, if ever so slightly, in favor of house hunters who can afford to stay in the market and away from sellers.

Photo: (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)