New Home Sales See Biggest Jump in 47 Years

Sales surge 27 percent, the strongest month since July
Source: Associated Press

Sales of new homes surged 27 percent last month, bouncing off the previous month's record low and blowing past expectations as government incentives and better weather boosted sales.

The Commerce Department said Friday that new-home sales rose in March to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 411,000. It was the strongest month since last July and the biggest monthly increase in 47 years.

Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected a sales pace of 330,000. February's results were revised upward to 324,000, but remained an all-time low. Sales had been especially weak over the winter, partly due to bad weather in much of the country.

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New York State Home Sales Continue to Post Gains Compared to 2009

Source: New York State Association of Realtors

The New York state housing market continued to post double-digit sales gains compared to a year ago as February 2010 sales jumped 13.2 percent compared to February 2009, according to preliminary single-family sales data accumulated by the New York State Association of REALTORS. The statewide median sales price rose by more than 12 percent compared to February 2009.

New York REALTORS sold 4,016 existing single-family homes in New York State during February 2010, a 13.2-percent increase compared to the February 2009 sales total of 3,548. February sales did lag behind the January 2010, when 4,555 homes were sold.

The February 2010 median sales price in New York State of $225,000 represents an increase of 12.5 percent compared to the February 2009 median of $199,950, but fell off by 4.3 percent from the January 2010 median of $235,000.

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