New-home sales fall, 2011 could be worst year yet Sales fell 0.7 pct. in July.; 2011 shaping up to be worst on records dating back 50 years Derek Kravitz, AP Real Estate Writer, On Tuesday August 23, 2011, 4:42 pm EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sales of new homes fell for the third straight month in July, a sign that housing remains a drag on the economy. If the current pace continues, 2011 would be the worst year for new-home sales on records dating back at least half a century.
Sales fell nearly 1 percent in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 298,000, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. That's less than half the 700,000 that economists say represent a healthy market.