Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in February from the previous month as home shoppers benefited from easing mortgage rates and a modest increase in properties on the market heading into the spring homebuying season.

The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday that existing home sales increased 1.7% last month from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million units. Sales fell 1.4% compared with February last year.

The latest sales figure topped the 3.84 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet. The national median sales price increased 0.3% in February from a year earlier to $398,000.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes picked up in February from the previous month as home shoppers took advantage of easing mortgage rates and a modest increase in properties on the market heading into the spring homebuying season.

Existing home sales rose 1.7% last month from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday.

Sales fell 1.4% compared with February last year, with every region except the South posting lower sales versus a year earlier. The latest sales figure topped the 3.84 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.

“Good momentum, but nonetheless sales are still below one year ago,” Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said during a conference call.

Home prices continued to rise last month, albeit more slowly. The national median sales price increased 0.3% in February from a year earlier to $398,000, an all-time high for any February on data going back to 1999, NAR said. Home prices have risen on an annual basis for 32 months in a row.