WASHINGTON (AP) – Americans pulled back from buying new homes in May, reversing strong gains made in April as sales fell sharply in the Northeast and West.
New-home sales declined 6 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted rate of 551,000 from a downwardly revised 586,000 in April, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Still, sales are 6.4 percent higher year-to-date. Job growth and ultra-low mortgage rates have helped drive the increase, though the data can be volatile from month to month and across regions.
New-home sales have rebounded from the depths of the housing bust, though builders have focused on the upper echelon of buyers. The shift to the luxury market means that fewer new homes are being built, but the new homes are typically selling for higher prices.
May’s median sales price was up 1 percent from a year ago to $290,400. That figure would likely have been higher if not for the steep monthly declines in the pricier Northeast and Western regions.
Northeast sales slumped 33 percent from April to May while the West suffered a 15.6 percent decline. Sales barely slipped in the South but improved 12.9 percent in the traditionally affordable Midwest.