Short List

High and Low

The high and low ends of the housing market are experiencing big changes. More than 11 percent of homes sold for more than $500,000 in April, and sales growth was highest among homes in above-median-priced categories, according to NAR research. One year ago, homes that sold at $500,000 or more made up 10.8 percent of the market; they now comprise 11.6 percent.

At the same time, the number of low-priced home sales is falling: Approximately one-fifth of homes sold for less than $100,000 a year ago, and that share shrank in April 2014 to 17.5 percent. NAR attributes this to a lack of inventory of low-priced homes and rising home prices. Sales in the lowest-price tier fell by 12 percent nationally from a year ago, while sales in higher-priced categories were up by as much as 5 percent from April 2013.