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The numbers: Sales of newly-constructed homes in the U.S. dropped 0.4% on a monthly basis in December to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 694,000, the government reported Monday.
That’s compared with a seasonally-adjusted pace of 697,000 set in November, which was revised downward from the original report released last month. Because of the sample size of the new-home sales data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, the report can have swings and significant revisions, as was also seen in the September and October data releases.
While new-home sales dropped on a monthly basis, they were up 23% from the previous year in December. The average rate of new home sales in 2019 was 681,000, which was 10.3% higher than 2018’s pace.
What happened: The median sales price for new homes was $331,400 in December, which was up from the previous month. The government estimated there was a 5.7-month supply of new homes available for sale, up slightly from November as well.
New-home sales increased in the West (up 31%) and the Midwest (up 10%). Meanwhile, sales volume fell 15% in the South and 12% in the Northeast.
Big picture: While new-home sales have now fallen for three consecutive months, most signs indicate that the new-home market should be strong in 2020.
Confidence among home builders remains around all-time highs in large part because of the low supply of homes for sale overall. A recent report from the National Association of Realtors found that the inventory of homes for sale nationwide had dropped to the lowest level in 20 years.
The lack of home-building activity following the recession has constrained Americans’ ability to buy nowadays. That’s driven home prices to record highs across much of the country, putting a strain on buyer’s finances. Nevertheless, buying demand remains elevated, which should continue to support interest in purchasing a new home.
What they’re saying: “Extremely tight supply conditions continue to hold sales down and are driving more homebuyers to the new home market,” said Nationwide’s senior economist Ben Ayers and economist Daniel Vielhaber in a research note.
Market reaction: The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -1.42% , S&P 500 SPX, -1.42% and the 10-year Treasury note’s TMUBMUSD10Y, -4.44% were all down in morning trading, a reflection of concerns surrounding the coronavirus in China.
Meanwhile, shares of home-building firms PulteGroup PHM, +0.74% and D.R. Horton DHI, +2.89% and Lennar Corp. LEN, +0.93% all rose Monday morning.
