Home resales rose by 6.4% in 5 months.

WASHINGTON - Home resales in the first five months of 1992 were stronger than in any other January-May period since 1987, the National Association of Realtors said.

This year, 1.35 million single-family homes were resold, compared with 1.266 million in the 1991 period, for an increase of 6.4%.

Although the seasonally adjusted annual rate for resales dipped in May to 3.43 million, "housing remains on the threshold of stimulating the rest of the economy," said Dorcas T. Helfant, a Virginia realty agent who is president of the trade group. "When seasonally adjusted rates are in striking distance of the 3.5 million level, home resales act as an impetus for related businesses to grow, which helps create jobs," she said.

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