![](\"https:\/\/www.floridarealtors.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/full_width_main_image\/public\/page\/image\/2019-10\/gettyimages-1060524008.jpg?h=0cc7f746&itok=J153_siN\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Sales came in at 923K \u2013 much higher than the 842K economists expected even after revising Dec. numbers. That increase is also 19.3% higher than sales in Jan. 2020.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) \u2013 Demand for new homes in the U.S. surged 4.3% in January with the housing market still one of the strongest segments of the economy.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Last month\u2019s increase pushed sales of new homes to an adjusted annual rate of 923,000, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. That\u2019s much stronger than the 855,000 that economists were expecting. December\u2019s new home sales figure was revised higher as well, from 842,000, to 885,000.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Sales of new homes are now 19.3% higher than they were last year at this time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSales would have been much higher if only builders could build faster,\u201d said Robert Frick, economist with Navy Federal Credit Union. \u201cSupply is only one issue, and for many Americans trying to buy their first home, rising prices are shutting them out of the market.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Although the median price of a new home sold in January slipped to $346,400, that is up more than 5% from a year ago, far outpacing wage gains in the U.S. Persistent demand fueled by record low mortgage rates has pushed prices higher over the past year.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The cost of labor and materials is also rising. Lumber futures have spiked 130% in the past year, adding thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n After a three-month spring slide during the coronavirus outbreak, housing boomed in the summer and fall (there was a slight dip in November). It appears to be surging again with the busy spring buying season approaching.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Only in the Northeast did sales slide, down 13.9%. Sales jumped 12.6% in the Midwest, 6.8% in the West and 3% in the South.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The housing market has remained remarkably resilient in the face of the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Economists\u2019 biggest worries are availability and affordability. Inventory of available houses slipped to a four-month supply. Last January, there was a five-month supply.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n