A recent new home sales report for July showed that sales of newly built homes increased 12.4 percent since June, and rose 31.3 percent year-over-year. This surge marks the highest point in almost eight years.
“New homes are being purchased at a furious pace, and it could give the housing market the added push it’s been waiting for,” says Quicken Loans vice president Bill Banfield. “With more new homes purchased by move-up buyers, it provides an increase in housing choice for first time buyers looking for their starter house.”
Data released found that the new home sales seasonally adjusted annualized rate for July was 654,000, the highest pace of sales since October 2007. Actual new homes sold so far this year are up 13 percent over the first seven months of 2015. This July’s new home supply remains tight at 4.3 months of supply.
The median sales price of new houses sold in July 2016 was $294,600; the average sales price was $355,800. The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of July was 233,000. This represents a supply of 4.3 months at the current sales rate.
“It’s great to see evidence of much-needed growth and a shift toward more affordable prices in July’s report,” says realtor.com Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke. “It’s also good news that we are finally seeing builders shifting toward more affordable price points. And given the limited number of homes currently for sale, we can be confident that the decline in new home prices is a result of market shift and not discounting by builders.”
For more information, visit www.census.gov.
