ALEX VEIGA Business Writer.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slid in June to the slowest pace since last September as mortgage rates remained elevated and national median sales prices hit unprecedented levels. Existing home sales fell 2.7% last month from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.93 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. Sales were flat compared with June last year. The latest home sales fell short of the 4.01 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet. Home prices increased on an annual basis for the 24th consecutive month. The national median sales price rose 2% in June from a year earlier to $435,300, an all-time high for the month of June.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes edged higher in May, as stubbornly high mortgage rates and rising prices made homebuying less affordable even as the inventory of properties on the market continued to increase. Existing home sales rose 0.8% last month from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.03 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. Sales fell 0.7% compared with May last year. The latest home sales fell topped the 3.95 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet. The national median sales price rose 1.3% in May from a year earlier to $422,800, an all-time high for the month of May.