new home sales

U.S. New-Home Sales Jump to Highest in 4.5 Years

U.S. new-home sales jumped in January from the previous month to the highest level since July 2008, a sign that the housing recovery is accelerating. New-home sales rose nearly 16 percent in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 437,000, the largest percentage increase in nearly 20 years.

U.S. Home Sales Rise to 2nd-Highest Pace in 3 Years

U.S. sales of previously occupied homes rose in January to the second-highest level in three years, a sign the housing market is maintaining its recovery and helping to bolster the economy. The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales rose 0.4 percent in January compared with December.

Guess What Wall Street's Doing With Foreclosed Homes?

Despite the new housing construction boom, there are still lots of empty foreclosures out there, which banks have been trying to rent. But now, Wall Street wants to bundle those rental properties into securities and sell them to investors. Does this sound disturbingly familiar?

U.S. New-Home Sales Fell in Dec., Sales for Year Up

The housing market is back, but how strong will it be this year? New home sales were weaker than expected in December, down nearly eight percent from a year earlier. But the housing recovery for all of 2012 was surprisingly strong after the collapse that started four years earlier.

U.S. New-Home Sales Rise to Highest in 2.5 Years

U.S. sales of new homes jumped last month to the highest level in more than two years, further evidence of a sustained housing recovery that could help lift the lackluster economy. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that new home sales rose 5.7 percent in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 389,000.

KB Home: Why This Homebuilder Will Never Be Great Again

Most homebuilders saw their shares pop higher Tuesday after heavyweight Lennar released better-than-expected quarterly numbers -- but not KB Home. In fact, its shares actually fell. Here's why KB isn't invited to the housing recovery party.

What to Watch This Week: Malls, Tech, Homes and Papers

With 2012's first earnings season well under way, let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead: Here's why you should be watching one major mall owner, two tech giants, three homebuilders and a couple of old media behemoths.

New-Home Purchases Fall, 2011 Worst Ever for Sales

Fewer people bought new homes in December, making 2011 the worst sales year on record. The Commerce Department said Thursday new-home sales fell last month to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 307,000. The pace is less than half the 700,000 that economists say must be sold in a healthy economy.

New-Home Sales Up in Nov. But 2011 Figures Dismal

Americans bought slightly more new homes in November, but 2011 will likely end up as the worst year for sales in history. The Commerce Department says new-home sales rose 1.6 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 315,000. That's less than half the 700,000 new homes that economists say should be sold to sustain a healthy housing market.

New-Home Sales Tick Up As Builders Slash Prices

Sales of new homes rose in September after four straight monthly declines, largely because builders cut their prices in the face of depressed demand. Analysts say the modest increase on the back of reduced prices suggests the struggling housing market is years away from a turnaround.

Advice on Juggling Higher Bills, New Business

Cassandra and her husband have seen major life changes in the past few months: A new house in the NYC suburbs, bills that suddenly exceed his salary, and a new business for her. But though her consulting firm is thriving, now she's got a different problem: how to properly take money out of it. DailyFinance drafted an expert to help.

Homebuilders Missing Out on the Economic Recovery

For homebuilders, it hardly feels like an economic recovery. Nearly two years after the recession ended, the pace of construction is less than half the level considered healthy. That weakness is weighing on the economy: Though new homes represent a small portion of overall sales, they have an outsized effect on jobs.

The Tell-Tale Stat: In Housing Market, Inventory Is Key

If you're trying to decide whether it's time to consider buying a house, the best clues can be found in the new and existing home inventory numbers. And despite all the other positive indicators, those figures are still much too high for comfort.

Prospective Homebuyers: Time Is on Your Side

The latest reports on home sales and prices offer a complicated and conflicted picture. But when the data are taken together, one thing is clear: Weighing risk and reward, it's worth waiting a few months to see which way the real estate winds are really blowing.

Housing's Long and Winding Road to Recovery

While home prices were falling last fall nearly nationwide, the pace of sales has picked up more recently. Overall, it seems clear that the worst of the housing debacle has passed. It's just that the U.S. remains on a slow, grinding track back to housing health.

This Week: Major Earnings and Reports Every Day

With corporate earnings season in full swing -- watch for McDonalds, along with Catepillar, Amazon and other -- and with the Fed meeting on interest rates, the GDP estimate and housing numbers coming out -- the week ahead is expected to be quite busy.

New-Home Sales Rise but Remain at Low Levels

One of these months, new-home sales are going to show that Americans have decisively returned to buying newly built residences. Unfortunately, November was not that month: New-home sales rose a less-than-expected 5.5% to a 290,000-unit annual rate.

Housing 2011: Unsettled, Underwater, Unsold

Sales agreements for previously occupied homes rose 10.4 % in October. But that one spark of hope comes against a backdrop of declining prices, bulging inventories and ongoing legal issues around foreclosures. Don't count on a real estate recovery next year.

Bloomberg Ranks Top 10 U.S. Economic Analysts

When it comes to predicting the U.S. economy, who has the best crystal ball? Lou Crandall, chief economist at economic advisory firm Wrightson ICAP, according to Bloomberg Markets magazine's new list of top analysts released Thursday.

New Home Sales Plummet to Near-Record Low

U.S. new home sales unexpectedly plunged 8.1% in October to a 283,000-unit annual rate -- very close to the all-time low of 275,000 hit this summer. What%u2019s more, inventories rose to an unhealthy 8.6-month supply and the median home price sank a record 13.9% to $194,900 -- all of which is indicative of a new home sale market that remains on life support, due to concerns about job security and the durability of the U.S. economic expansion.

New Housing Starts Plunged 11.7% in October

U.S. housing starts unexpectedly plunged 11.7% in October to a 519,000-unit annual rate, weighed down by a 47.5% decline in apartment and condo construction. But building permits, a leading indicator of future housing construction, did inch 0.5% higher last month.

New Home Sales Edge Higher but Remain at Low Levels

U.S. new home sales rose a better-than-expected 6.6% in September, but the rise is hardly cause for celebration. Sales remain near a 47-year low, with the sector showing few signs of generating enough demand to vault sales back to normal levels.

New-Home Sales at Second Lowest Level Since 1963

U.S. new-homes sales were unchanged in August, clocking in at a 288,000-unit annual rate -- the second lowest level since 1963. Overall, new home sales flat-lined this summer after the home buyer tax credit ended, but there was some good news in the numbers from the coasts.