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发帖数: 8441 | 1 New home sales slip again in June
By Blake Ellis @CNNMoney July 26, 2011: 11:21 AM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Sales of new homes slipped for a second straight
month in June, unexpectedly falling 1%, as homebuilders remained reluctant
to boost production.
The Census Bureau reported an annual sales rate of 312,000 new homes last
month, down slightly from a revised rate of 315,000 homes in May. Compared
to new home sales a year ago, June sales were up 1.6%.
Despite the year-over year uptick, the results disappointed. Economists had
forecast a sales rate of 320,000 new homes, according to consensus estimates
from Briefing.com.
After falling to an all-time low of 278,000 in February, new home sales have
been one of the weakest sectors of the economy.
Where is America's cheapest real estate?
The 312,000 sales rate in June is a far cry from the peak hit in July 2005
of 1.4 million. Ever since the recession took hold in 2008, home builders
have been cautious about beginning new projects -- especially with
unemployment still painfully high.
The glut of foreclosures on the market has also limited demand for new homes
, as financially-strapped consumers look for better bargains.
There were an estimated 164,000 new homes for sale at the end of June. At
the current sales rate, it would take 6.3 months to sell through that
inventory, the report said.
New home sales in the Northeast declined the most last month, dropping 16%.
The only regions to see sales increase were the South and Midwest, which
reported increases of 3.4% and 9.5%, respectively.
A separate S&P/Case-Shiller report on home prices Tuesday offered further
evidence that the housing market remains crippled.
The report showed that May home prices in 20 major cities dipped 4.5% from a
year ago. The average price of new homes sold in June was $269,000,
according to the Census Bureau's new home sales report. |
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