U.S. Economy: Home Sales Drop to Lowest in More Than Two Years

[Sam]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...cpw&refer=home

Purchases fell in all regions of the country. They dropped 5.4 percent in the Northeast, 5.9 percent in the Midwest, 1.2 percent in the South and 6.4 percent in the West.

``We're more likely nationally to see a soft landing rather than a bubble bursting,'' said Nicolas Retsinas, director of Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ``People are finding it more difficult, with higher mortgage rates, to buy a home. Rents are starting to go up again.''