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WASHINGTON — Sales of existing homes were unchanged in August, as a shortage of houses priced at less than $250,000 — a level considered to be affordable for the middle class — has become a drag on the real estate market.

An index measuring contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly declined in July, signaling that buyers are balking at higher prices and a lack of choices in some regions, according to data released Aug. 29 from the National Association of Realtors in Washington.

U.S. new-home sales increased in March to a four- month high, mainly reflecting a surge in the West, and upward revisions to prior months showed stronger first-quarter demand than previously estimated, according to government data released April 24.

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose to a four-month high as buyers, fueled by a solid job market and tax cuts, quickly snapped up the limited number of available properties, National Association of Realtors data showed April 23.

A gauge of signed contracts to purchase previously-owned U.S. homes increased in February for the first time in three months, highlighting uneven progress in the industry, according to data released March 28 from the National Association of Realtors in Washington.

Sales of new U.S. homes fell for a third straight month and supply swelled to the highest since 2009, suggesting that surging prices are increasingly deterring buyers, according to government data released March 23.

A gauge of contracts to purchase previously-owned U.S. homes unexpectedly declined in January to a more than three-year low, reflecting a shortage of inventories and rising mortgage rates, according to data released Feb. 28 from the National Association of Realtors in Washington.

U.S. sales of new homes unexpectedly fell in January to the lowest level since August as borrowing costs rose and winter weather depressed demand, according to government data released Feb. 26.

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly fell in January to a four-month low, indicating a shortage of available properties is increasingly hindering the real-estate industry, a National Association of Realtors report showed Feb. 21.

A measure of contract signings to buy existing U.S. homes rose in December for a third month, giving sales some momentum at the start of 2018, according to data released Jan. 31 by the National Association of Realtors.