New Home Sales

New Home Sales is a monthly U.S. Census Bureau indicator measuring the number of newly constructed single family homes sold during the period, reported both as an unadjusted monthly count and as a seasonally adjusted annual rate. It is tracked as a leading gauge of activity in residential construction and of household willingness to make a major purchase, since a new home sale reflects a buyer's decision at roughly the point a builder starts or completes construction rather than, as with an existing home sale, a resale of a property already standing. The indicator is watched alongside housing starts and building permits as part of the broader housing market data cycle.