Pursuits
Sales of New U.S. Homes Rose More Than Forecast to End 2014
A local real estate agent on a tour of homes for sale in Lancaster, Ohio on Jan. 9, 2014
Photographer: Ty WrightThis article is for subscribers only.
Purchases of new homes in the U.S. jumped in December to the highest level in more than six years, a sign the industry is poised to keep expanding in 2015.
Sales increased 11.6 percent to a 481,000 annualized pace, exceeding all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists and the most since June 2008, figures from the Commerce Department showed Tuesday in Washington. Demand increased in three of four regions.