House Prices Rise in December

Washington, DC, Feb. 23, 2012 -- U.S. home prices rose 0.7% in December, an up finish to a year in which prices fell 2.4%, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

However, prices fell 0.1% in the fourth quarter, the FHFA said.

"While FHFA's national index shows a 2 percentage point price decline over the latest four quarters, 12 states and the District of Columbia posted price increases," said FHFA Principal Economist Andrew Leventis in a press release.

"When coupled with the fact that about half of all U.S. states saw price increases in the latest quarter, this growth adds to mounting evidence that real estate markets are seeing at least some signs of life."