Though it has lost some of its thunder, the COVID-19 real estate boom continues to reverberate across the U.S. Thanks to historically low mortgage rates and other factors, home prices have been driven to levels many first-time buyers can't afford. In June, the median price of a previously owned home in the U.S. reached $363,300 — up an incredible 23.4% from a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors, or NAR. But home sales have calmed down somewhat: They fell for four consecutive months before rising a modest 1.4% in June.