The fall is twice larger than expected. Sales of existing homes in the United States have unscrewed from 27.2% in July compared to June, according to figures released Tuesday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). A statistic which agrees with the economists providing a relapse of the U.S. economy.

Sales of existing properties and have hit a 15-year low in July. The June sales have they been revised downward to 5.26 million units, against 5.37 previously.

These figures are certainly worse than expected catastrophic but are not a total surprise. They indeed correspond to the decision of the tax credit established by the Federal Government to support sales. "Citizens are very rationally rushed on the market before the expiry of the measure in May," says Laurence Yun, chief economist of the NAR."Since that date, signature of contracts of sale were far less numerous. Expect a break until late September. "Other economists expect a further slide in sales volumes until 2011.