New Home Sales Rise, But Conditions Remain Unchanged

The market for new homes showed some unexpected life last month. New home sales rose 11.1 percent to annual rate of 300,000, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. While this marks a nice bump up from the February rate of 270,000, it does not yet suggest a sustained recovery, due to continued competition from distressed properties, high unemployment and plunging home prices. The growing shadow inventory of homes soon to be foreclosed on puts formidable pressure on builders, who have already reduced inventory.

Check out the Huffington Post report for more on what the numbers mean.