With the Midwest leading the way, sales of new homes increased last month. But sales in the Northeast were down by more than a quarter.
New single-family home sales for the country as a whole worked out to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 433,000 during April.
Transaction volume leapt from March, when the annual rate was 407,000. The previous month’s number was revised up from 384,000 originally reported.
The Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly reported the data on Friday.
The month-over-month improvement likely represented a recovery from the harsh winter that restrained activity during the first three months of 2014.
But activity slowed from April 2013, when the estimate was 452,000. The year-earlier number was revised down from 454,000.
New home sales soared 47.4 percent from March in the Midwest.
But activity plunged 26.7 percent in the Northeast.
New homes sold for a median price of $275,800 in April 2014, falling from the previous month’s revised $281,700 and the year-earlier’s revised $279,300.
Last month’s average sale price was $320,100.
As of April 30, 2014, there were an estimated 192,000 new homes for sale.
The supply of new homes for sale was 5.3 months in the latest period, diminishing from 5.6 months in March but lengthening from 4.3 months a year earlier.
