Home prices surged upward in December, CoreLogic reports

House prices in Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire rose by almost 8 percent in December, with year-end appreciation rates hitting three-year highs, the latest CoreLogic Home Price Index shows.
In Orange County, the price of an existing single-family home increased 6.3 percent in December, almost a two-year high for that county, CoreLogic reported Tuesday, Feb. 6.
Big drops in the number of homes for sale in late 2017 increased buyer competition and contributed to higher price gains. But st