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On the heels of the homebuyers tax credit expiration, existing home sales were down 5.1 percent in June from the previous month, according to by the National Association of Realtors. The association estimates that 5.37 million existing homes were sold from June 2009 to June 2010, down from 5.66 million from May 2009 to May 2010.

While the numbers are down from the previous month, existing home sales are up 9.8 percent from last June, and up 19 percent from January of 2009, the low point of the last five years.

In the western United States, existing home sales dropped 9.3 percent from May but are up 0.9 percent from a year ago. The median home price in the West is up 1.5 percent from a year ago, to $221,800, according to the data. The nationwide median existing home price is $183,700.

These numbers come after Freddie Mac announced earlier this week that 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgages fell to a record low 4.74 percent in June.