( dpa )- Month-to-month sales of existing homes rose 2.9 per cent in February over those in January, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. The news was the first bright spot amidst a steady decline in sales over the past months . The subprime mortgage crisis which has roiled the finance system saw 1.5 million defaults in 2007. The realtors ' group said 5.03 million existing homes were sold in February , still a drop of 23.8 per cent below February a year ago . The national median price for existing homes was 195,900 dollars in February , an 8.2 per cent drop from February 2007.
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