 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.
/ p: \7 O! ]2 R% A
( |* X' d' l0 F* }$ vThe 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.! d* c- q4 e$ L7 U# [) n& ~
% v, N2 t) i# m" C' b1 Y) i$ ]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.- _' w% ^+ s8 H
' B3 \7 k1 P! X* {* r' u
Builders 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. |
|