Sales of new homes hit four-month low

Purchases of new U.S. homes declined in October to a four-month low, showing the residential real estate market began to soften a month before a jump in borrowing costs.

Sales decreased 1.9 percent to a 563,000 annualized pace, Commerce Department data showed Wednesday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg called for a 590,000 rate.

The government's new-home data, while volatile from month to month, have been advancing in uneven fashion over the last five years, bolstered by steady job gains and income growth. The market now faces a test after mortgage rates climbed last week by the most since mid-2013.

Estimates ranged from 550,000 to 616,000. The Commerce Department revised the September reading down to a 574,000 pace from a previously estimated 593,000.

The slowdown in demand last month was led by a 13.7 percent decrease in the Midwest to a six-month low and a 3 percent drop in the South. In the West, purchases climbed 8.8 percent to a 148,000 annualized pace, the strongest this year.

The supply of homes rose to 5.2 months from 5 months in September. There were 246,000 new houses on the market at the end of October, the most in seven years. Of those, 42,000 have not yet been started, the most since December 2008.

The median sales price of a new house increased 1.9 percent from October 2015 to $304,500, Wednesday's report showed.

New-home sales, which account for about 10 percent of the residential market, are tabulated when contracts are signed. That makes them a timelier barometer than transactions on existing homes.

Purchases of previously owned home sales unexpectedly rose in October to the highest level since February 2007, National Association of Realtors data showed Tuesday. Resales rose 2 percent to a 5.6 million annual rate, even as inventory declined from the previous year for the 17th straight month.

Residential real estate has been supported by stronger hiring and historically low mortgage rates. Borrowing costs may be in the process of adjusting to a higher level.

The average rate on a 30-year, fixed mortgage surged 37 basis points last week to 3.94 percent, the highest since the start of the year.