Sept 19 (Reuters) - Lennar Corp ( LEN ) posted a higher

third-quarter profit on Thursday, compared with a year earlier,

as a historically low housing supply kept demand strong, with

declining fixed mortgage rates luring in more skittish buyers to

the market.

The second-largest U.S. homebuilder by sales posted

earnings of $1.16 billion, or $4.26 per share, for the quarter,

compared with $1.1 billion, or $3.87 per share, a year earlier.