Sales of existing single-family homes rose 7.4 percent in August to an annual rate of 3.62 million homes from 3.37 million in July, according to a release from the National Association of Realtors. Even with the rise, however, the rate of sales for existing single-family homes remains 19.2 percent below the 4.48-million mark set in August 2009. Overall, existing home sales rose 7.6 percent in August to an annual rate of 4.13 million from a rate of 3.84 million in July; the current figure is 19 percent below the rate of 5.10 million homes set in August 2009.
Sales of new single-family homes in August were at an annual rate of 288,000, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Commerce. This figure is unchanged from the July rate but is 28.9 percent below the August 2009 rate. The median sales price of new houses sold in August was $204,700, up from $204,000 in July; the average sales price for new houses sold in August was $248,800, up from $235,300 in July.
