According to figures published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the sales volume of newly constructed homes for November declined from the previous month's revised 672,000 units to 590,000 units, reflecting a year-on-year decrease of 12.2%.
This figure is seasonally adjusted, indicating the number of homes that would be constructed in a year if builders continued at the same pace. However, this sales rate fell significantly below Wall Street expectations. Economists had previously projected a total of 688,000 new home sales for November, making this data a considerable disappointment for the market.
Further analysis of the data reveals that the decline in new home sales was primarily driven by the Southern and Western regions. Meanwhile, the Midwest experienced the largest growth in sales, reaching 25%, and the Northeast saw a growth of 3.1%. Concurrently, the Southern region witnessed a decline of 20.9%, and the Western region declined by 5.1%. The performance of these regions contributed to an overall downward trend in the data.
Additionally, the median sales price for new homes in November increased from $414,900 in the previous month to $434,700. This rise in prices could be attributed to a combination of tight supply and increased demand.
However, it's important to note that new home sales data often exhibits significant monthly fluctuations and is subject to frequent revisions. Therefore, the decline in new home sales for this month may be a temporary phenomenon, requiring further observation to determine its significance.
Despite the decline in new home sales in November, there is still an overall growth of 1.4% compared to the previous year, indicating a gradual recovery in the U.S. real estate market. Furthermore, the substantial decrease in mortgage loan interest rates in December and the corresponding rise in housing demand signal positive trends for the real estate market. Economists anticipate that future rates may continue to decline, further stimulating homebuyer demand.
Moreover, with ongoing shortages in resale inventory, housing developers find themselves in a favorable position to meet the growing demand for home purchases and actively respond to market needs. In fact, November witnessed a 15% surge in the housing starts rate, indicating that builders are accelerating the construction pace of new housing units.