U.S. single-family home prices fell for a fifth straight month in November and a double-dip in home prices could be confirmed by spring, a closely watched survey said Tuesday.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas declined 0.5% in November from October on a seasonally adjusted basis, though it was not as sharp as the 0.8%  fall expected by economists.

Prices have fallen 1.6% in the past year, sharper than the 1.4% predicted by economists polled by Reuters.