Summary Box: Surging home sales likely to fizzle despite low rates

Summary Box: Home sales rise but may soon fizzle

HOME SALES RISE: A now-expired homebuyer tax credit and low mortgage rates helped boost sales of previously occupied homes by 7.6 percent in April.

MORTGAGE RATES FALL: Worries over the European debt crisis have sent investors into the safety of U.S. Treasury bonds. As a result, the average rate on a 30-year loan ticked up slightly to 4.87 percent on Monday, financial publisher HSH Associates says.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE: A tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time buyers is gone. And economists say Americans face so many financial obstacles that falling mortgage rates won’t provide much lift to home sales.