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Lost bidding wars and home prices that have risen above buyers’ ability to pay are the leading cause of stymied buyers, a new poll commissioned by the National Association of Home Builders finds.

The same survey showed that 64 percent of active buyers in the first quarter of this year have spent over three months looking for a new home without success.

The NAHB poll of 2,488 active homebuyers, conducted by Morning Consult from March 11 to march 22, found that 45 percent weren’t able to buy because they had been outbid at least once before, up from 23 percent a year earlier. Another 32 percent said they were unable to find a home in their price range, down from 40 percent a year earlier and likely reflecting the consistently low interest rates of the last year.

Faced with these challenges, 25 percent of active buyers looking for three or more months said they would give up until next year or later this year, down slightly from the fourth quarter of 2020 but up from 16 percent in the first quarter of 2020.