Having dropped 9.4 percent over the previous two months, the seasonally adjusted rate of new single-family home sales in the U.S. jumped 18.9 percent in September to an annual rate of 667,000 sales which is 17.0 percent above the pace at the same time last year versus 1.2 percent lower the month before.
The September pace was 2.3 percent above the long-term average for this time of the year (652,000), at least preliminarily, but still 46.4 percent below the record-high pace of 1,244,000 as measured in September which was set in 2005.
At the same time, the number of new single-family homes for sale across the county held at 279,000 which is the most available inventory since June of 2009 and 15.3 percent higher versus the same time last year.
And in the West, the annual pace of new single-family home sales inched up a preliminary 2.9 percent in September to 141,000 which is 4.4 percent higher versus the same time last year.