The following is the unedited transcript of the news release from the U.S. Department of Commerce.


Sales of new one-family houses in April 2008 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 526,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 3.3 percent (±11.7%)* above the revised March rate of 509,000, but is 42.0 percent (±8.1%) below the April 2007 estimate of 907,000.


The median sales price of new houses sold in April 2008 was $246,100; the average sales price was $321,000. The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of April was 456,000. This represents a supply of 10.6 months at the current sales rate.


Available at:

http://www.census.gov/const/newressales.pdf