 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.
3 z; x& Z6 c5 z) _$ M8 E I1 T& q/ d3 ~
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.
. {" {0 q1 ~0 Z1 I7 p5 Z2 v4 _5 m% c" W6 p8 c$ s9 H- t
The 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.
$ X& i7 C. r4 c$ r" e. S
7 a) M4 G8 `9 d" SBuilders 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. |
|