Having slipped 1.3 percent in January, the seasonally adjusted pace of existing-home sales across the U.S. jumped 6.5 percent in February to an annual rate of 5.77 million sales, according to the National Association of Realtors.
And as such, the pace of sales was running 7.2 percent higher on a year-over-year basis.
At the same time, the number of existing homes on the market across the nation ticked up 5.0 percent in February to 1.63 million homes but was still 9.8 percent lower than at the same time last (while inventory levels in San Francisco had hit a 9-year high).
But of course, the February stats were compiled prior to the stock market having dropped over 25 percent and the impact of COVID-19 having taken hold.