Prices for single-family homes climbed in 88 percent of U.S

Prices for single-family homes climbed in 88 percent of U.S. cities in the third quarter as buyers competed for limited inventories that included fewer discounted foreclosures. The median transaction price rose from a year earlier in 144 of 163 metropolitan areas measured. The nationwide median price for an existing single-family home rose 12.5 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier to $207,300. The increase in prices, competition and borrowing costs are now forcing some buyers to pause as housing affordability starts to bite down on some parts of the market.