New Home Sales Up 7.9% in August

Washington, DC, Sept. 25, 2013 -- New home sales in August rose 7.9% from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 421,000, according to the Commerce Department.

That was an increase from July's revised number of 390,000.

Three of four regions posted gains, and the 7.9% growth was the fastest sales pace since January.

The number was largely in line with economists' expectations.

The August sales were also up 12.6% from a year ago. The median price of new homes was $254,600 last month, up 0.6% from the year-earlier period.