According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, new home sales fell in April by 11%, dropping to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 569,000. This marks a decrease from a revised rate of 642,000 in March. The April number is much lower than expected.
The median sales price of new houses sold in April 2017 was $309,200. This means that builders were cutting prices by 3%, but the lower prices weren’t sufficient to increase sales. Compared to this time last year, the median price of a new home is down almost 4% while sales of new homes are up only 0.5%.
The increase in new home sales over the last year has all occurred in the Midwest and the South. Sales in the West and Northeast are down. Between March and April, sales of new homes dropped 26% in the West.