 鲜花( 34)  鸡蛋( 5)
|
Sales of new American homes plunged in February to the fewest on records dating back nearly half a century, a dismal sign for an already-weak housing market.
) L: x8 G0 S' l7 X. C6 O+ {8 @$ H) u T4 p" x& g7 `/ X* N
The Commerce Department said Wednesday new home sales fell 16.9 per cent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 250,000 homes. It's the third straight monthly decline and far below the 700,000-a-year pace that economists view as healthy.7 t9 T$ N/ u: p, P9 c+ m
0 _+ \' f/ c9 Y& oThe median price of a new home dropped nearly 14 per cent to $202,100, the lowest since December 2003. New home prices are now 30 percent higher than of those being resold.* T+ Z9 y* h7 `1 k1 c6 W
( r; @2 K# T9 o& o$ aBuilders have struggled to compete with a wave of foreclosures that has lowered the price of previously occupied homes. High unemployment, tight credit and uncertainty over prices have also kept many potential buyers from making purchases. |
|