• Sales of newly built homes rose more than 10 percent in December from November, to 544,000 units sold (SAAR), the best month for new home sales since February 2015 and second best since 2008.
• Similar to existing home sales, some sales that may have otherwise closed in November may have been pushed into December because of new settlement and disclosure rules.
• The seasonally adjusted median price of a new home fell 4.3 percent from December 2014, to $285,200, the biggest annual decline since early 2012.

New home sales had a strong December, recording their best month since February 2015 and second-best since 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Additionally, for the first time since July 2015, both new and existing home sales for the month moved in the same direction, reversing a months-long trend in which one would rise, and the other would fall. But even with the strong finish, sales of newly built homes are still running slightly below their February level and were roughly flat over the course of 2015. Additionally, like existing home sales, new home sales in December were likely boosted by recently adopted changes in settlement and disclosure rules that pushed closings that may have occurred in November into December. The price of new homes, which have been fetching a large premium over existing homes as builders focus on a higher-end clientele, fell 4.3 percent year-over-year in December (seasonally adjusted) to $285,200, the biggest annual decline since early 2012. This is some — modest — good news for buyers struggling to find a home to buy and get a hold in the market.