Texas added about half a million new homes to its housing inventory between 2000 and 2003 to lead the nation in numerical growth. These gains boosted Texas' housing inventory to 8.7 million in 2003. Florida was a close second, adding 485,000 housing units over the period. California (up 442,000), Georgia (295,000) and North Carolina (257,000) rounded out the top five in this category.

At the county level, Lincoln, S.D., near Sioux Falls, led with a 31 percent increase in the number of housing units over the period. However, the rest of the top 10 was dominated by counties in the Atlanta metropolitan area - Henry (second), Paulding (third), Newton (sixth) and Forsyth (10th). Loudoun, Va. (fourth) and Douglas, Colo. (fifth) also made the top five, with Rockwall, Texas; Teton, Idaho; and Kendall, Ill., coming in at seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. Many of these counties also were among the fastest growing in terms of population change.

Maricopa County, Ariz., which includes Phoenix, was the biggest numerical gainer in the supply of homes, adding 136,000. Clark County (Las Vegas), Nev., and Harris County (Houston), Texas, followed closely, adding 89,000 and 86,000 units, respectively. Rounding out the top 10 counties were two others in Texas (Tarrant and Travis, home of Fort Worth and Austin, respectively), three in southern California (Riverside, San Diego and Los Angeles), and Mecklenburg (Charlotte), N.C., and Miami-Dade, Fla.

Los Angeles County, Calif., had the largest total number of housing units in 2003, 3.3 million, followed by Cook County (Chicago), Ill., 2.1 million and Maricopa, Ariz., 1.4 million. The estimates are based on Census 2000 counts supplemented by administrative records such as building permits.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sales and prices of existing U.S. homes jumped to record highs in June as homebuyers rushed to take advantage of low mortgage rates, a trade association said on Monday.

Sales of previously owned homes rose 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.95 million units in June from an upwardly revised 6.81 million unit pace in May, the National Association of Realtors said.

Analysts had been expecting a fall to a 6.67 million unit rate.

Meanwhile, the national median home price rose to $191,800, a record high.

CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- Rising mortgages rates are weighing on the minds of homeowners and potential homebuyers, with nearly three-quarters saying the American dream of homeownership is getting too costly, a survey from Charles Schwab Bank found.

The Schwab survey was taken just before the Federal Reserve on June 30 raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in four years when mortgage rates were nearing 6 1/2 percent. Since the Fed action, however, rates have fallen back, with the 30-year loan at 6 percent.

Still, 77 percent of Americans say that if they were to refinance their home today they would be "seriously concerned" about rising interest rates. And 75 percent said they think rising rates will make it more difficult for individuals to obtain home financing.

One of the biggest areas of concern is home-equity lending, where interest rates are often tied to indexes that will head higher if the Fed, as expected, continues to raise rates this year. Almost two-thirds of homeowners have a home-equity loan or line of credit, the Schwab survey found, which could account for a good portion of their interest-rate anxiety.

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