U.S. home sale prices reach a record of almost $400,000, but buyers may see some relief

The median home sale price in the U.S. just touched a record high, but new data shows that buyers are nevertheless paying below asking price. 

The median sale price hit a record $396,500 for the four weeks ending June 15, or a 1% increase from a year earlier, according to a Friday report from Redfin. But buyers are actually paying far less than sellers' median asking price, which stood at $422,238 for the same period, the real estate company's data shows.

That means buyers paid 6%, or $26,000, less than sellers hoped they would.