Analysis: Falling home sales not helping middle-class buyers

By Josh Boak, The Associated Press
When home sales weaken, prices typically do, too, and buyers benefit.
Not quite this time. Home purchases in many areas of the country have dipped, and price gains have slowed. Yet a rising number of middle-class Americans are finding that home ownership is unaffordable.
Why? Mortgage rates are up after years near historic lows. Price increases have been outrunning paychecks. And at a target price that families with a median income could afford, fewer homes are