Existing home sales grew 3.2% to a seasonally adjusted 5.49 million-unit rate in June from a downwardly revised 5.32 million pace the previous month, the National Association of Realtors announced Wednesday.
The May rate was originally reported as up 5.1% to a 5.35 million pace.
The June rate represents a 9.6% increase from the same month a year ago, and was above the median 5.40 million unit pace predicted by economists polled by Thomson Reuters.
"Buyers have come back in force, leading to the strongest past two months in sales since early 2007," said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun. "Buyers have come back in force, leading to the strongest past two months in sales since early 2007."
The rise in interest rates probably pushed some prospective buyers to act before rates climbed further, Yun added.
Sales in June were up in all four regions. They rose 4.3% in the Northeast, 4.7% in the Midwest, 2.3% in the South, and 2.5% in the West.
The median sales price was $236,400 in June, a 6.5% increase from a year ago.
Inventory levels grew 0.9% from the previous month to 2.30 million existing homes, representing a 5.0-month supply at the current pace. Inventory was up 0.4% from the June 2014 level.
