Christopher S. Rugaber
FILE - In this Tuesday, July 30, 2013, file photo, a realty sign hangs in front of a home for sale in Gilbert, Ariz .Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller reports on home prices in July on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
September 24, 2013 - 6:02 AM
WASHINGTON - U.S. home prices rose 12.4 per cent in July compared with a year ago, the most since February 2006. An increase in sales on a limited supply of available homes drove the gains.
The Standard &Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index improved from a 12.1 per cent year-over-year gain in June. And all 20 cities posted gains in July from the previous month and compared with a year ago.
Still, the month-over-month price gains shrank in 15 cities in July compared with the previous month, indicating prices may be peaking.
Home prices soared 27.5 per cent in Las Vegas from a year earlier, the largest gain. San Francisco's 24.8 per cent jump was the second largest and the biggest yearly return for that city since March 2001.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013