Sales of existing homes in December rose 2.4 percent from November, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said Friday.
Seasonally adjusted, sales last month were at an annual rate of 5.04 million, close to the prediction of 5.06 million from a poll of economists conducted by Reuters.
Sales in December 2014 were 3.5 percent higher than for December 2013, the NAR said.
The figures complete the housing picture in 2014 on a rosy note. However, compared with 2013, existing home sales last year were down 3.1 percent, to 4.93 million. Since 2010, sales had been improving every year.
Meanwhile, median home prices in 2014 rose to their highest level since 2007, the Realtors group reported. Last year, the median was $208,500, a 5.8-percent increase from 2013, when it was $197,100. In 2007, the median sale price was $219,000.
