The seasonally adjusted annual pace of new single-family home sales in the U.S. fell to 321,000 in January, down 0.9 percent from a revised rate of 324,000 in December but 3.5 percent above the 310,000 pace recorded in January 2011.
Preliminary U.S. new home sales (versus pace) in January were estimated to be 22,000 (give or take 9 percent), down 1,000 from December, the second slowest January on record since 1963. January sales peaked in 2005 with 92,000 new homes sold.
In the West, the pace of new home sales was up 5.6 percent year-over-year to 76,000 in January, down 10.6 percent versus the month before.
∙ New Residential Sales: January 2012 [census.gov]
∙ New Residential Sales Since 1963 [census.gov]
∙ U.S. New Home Sales: Up 9.8% Year-Over-Year In November [SocketSite]
∙ U.S. New Home Sales: Down 7.3% In December Year-Over-Year [SocketSite]
Existing home sales rose 4.3 per cent in January to a seasonally adjusted yearly rate of 4.57m, from a downwardly revised 4.38m annual level in December, according to the National Association of Realtors.