HOME SALES DOWN

WASHINGTON - Existing home sales fell 5.5 percent during the final three months of 1990 and closed the year down 11.6 percent from the fourth quarter of 1989, a real estate trade group said today.

The National Association of Realtors said resales during October, November and December totaled a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.42 million units, down from 3.62 million in the third quarter and 3.87 million in the same period of 1989.

Sales for the entire year totaled 3.61 million units, compared to 3.78 million a year earlier and 3.95 million in 1988. The survey covered sales of existing single-family detached homes, town houses, apartment condominiums and co-operatives.

Sales of new homes also plunged during 1990, according to Commerce Department statistics. They were down 17.5 percent to 536,000 units, compared to 650,000 in 1989.