SALES of previously-owned homes in the United States edged up in November, the third increase in four months after a dismal summer for home-buying.

The US National Association of Realtors yesterday said people bought previously-owned homes at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.68 million units last month, a gain of 5.6 percent from October.

The increases follow the worst summer for home sales in more than a decade. Even with the gains, sales were about 10 percent below the 5.2 million sales pace that analysts consider a healthy pace for housing. The national median price for a home sold in November was US$170,600.