A Significant Boost in New Home Sales

Housing Economics Plus
Published

In November 2024, sales of new single-family homes reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 664,000, according to newly released data from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. This marks a 5.9% increase from October’s revised figures and an 8.7% rise from November 2023.

Regionally, compared to one year ago, new home sales are up 13.6% in the South and 10.0% in the Midwest. However, sales declined 1.4% and 11.5% in the West and Northeast, respectively.

The median new home sale price in November edged down 5.4% to $402,600 and is down 6.3% from a year ago.

New single-family home inventory in November remained elevated at a level of 490,000, up 8.9% compared to a year earlier. This represents an 8.9-month supply at the current building pace. (A measure near a 6-month supply is considered balanced.)

New homes sales November 2024

 

Although an 8.9-month supply may be considered elevated in normal market conditions, there is currently only a 3.8-month supply of existing single-family homes on the market. Combined, the 4.5-month supply of new and existing homes remains below historic norms. However, this measure is expected to increase as more home sellers test the market in the months ahead.

NAHB economist Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington provides additional insights in this Eye on Housing article.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Construction Costs | Material Costs

Dec 23, 2025

Lumber Capacity Has Peaked for 2025

An annual revision to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report shows current sawmill production levels above 2017 by 7.5%, but just 0.3% above 2023 levels.

Building Systems Councils

Dec 22, 2025

Can Offsite Housing Solve the Housing Affordability Crisis?

Offsite construction – a method in which components are planned, designed, fabricated in a factory setting and then transported and assembled onsite – is something more community-based organizations (CBOs) are turning to as a solution to the housing affordability crisis.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Dec 22, 2025

State-Level Employment Situation: September 2025

In September 2025, nonfarm payroll employment was largely unchanged across states on a monthly basis, with a limited number of states seeing statistically significant increases or decreases. This reflects generally stable job counts across states despite broader labor market fluctuations. The data were impacted by collection delays due to the federal government shutdown.

Economics

Dec 19, 2025

Existing Home Sales Edge Higher in November

Existing home sales rose for the third consecutive month in November as lower mortgage rates continued to boost home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, the increase remained modest as mortgage rates still stayed above 6% while down from recent highs. The weakening job market also weighed on buyer activity.

Economics

Dec 18, 2025

Lumber Capacity Lower Midway Through 2025

Sawmill production has remained essentially flat over the past two years, according to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report. This most recent data release contained an annual revision, which resulted in higher estimates for both production and capacity in U.S. sawmills.