Sales of new homes ballooned
Sales of new homes ballooned in the U.S. last month, according to an overwhelmingly positive Wednesday report from the Census Bureau that stands in stark contrast to significantly softer real estate data released only a day earlier.
New home sales jumped 4.3 percent in November to 490,000 units on a seasonally adjusted annual basis. That's up 9.1 percent year over year and represents a second straight monthly gain after new home sales dropped off sharply in September.
The South and the West led sales activity, with monthly gains of 4.5 percent and 20.5 percent, respectively. The two regions have largely set the nation's real estate pace through much of the year – a trend that's likely to be made all the more apparent as winter weather envelops much of the Northeast and Midwest. Compared to the rest of the year, new home sales are typically softer during and immediately following the winter months, as home construction slows and fewer Americans look to actively move in the midst of inclement weather.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015-12-23/housing-sector-sends-mixed-signals-as-new-home-sales-soar?int=935d08
