June existing home sales rise by 3.6 percent

WASHINGTON — Signaling a housing recovery is under way in much of the country, sales of previously occupied homes rose for the third month in a row in June. The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that home sales rose 3.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.89 million last month, from a downwardly revised pace of 4.72 million in May. Home sales haven’t risen for three straight months since early 2004, during the housing boom. For the full story click here