Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose for the third consecutive month in November, reflecting strong demand, low mortgage rates and intense competition for a relatively few number of properties on the market.

Existing homes sales rose 1.9% last month from October to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 6.46 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. That’s the fastest pace since January, but below the 6.51 million units that economists had been expecting, according to FactSet.

Sales fell 2% from November last year, when they surged as buyers who had held off during the early days of the pandemic jumped back into the market. Through the first 11 months of this year, U.S. home sales are up 10% from the same stretch of 2020.