Consumer News: Price of new homes up over 15% from last year, more Americans file for unemployment than expected and more
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CNN– The price for a new home has climbed more than 15% from a year ago. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median price of a house last month was just over $350,000. Meanwhile, sales of existing homes surged 6.7% from December. The amount of homes on the market has fallen to a new record low too. At the end of January, the inventory of homes available for sale was 860,000, the lowest since 1999.
CNN– The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly ticked up last week, rising for the first time in more than a month. The Labor Department’s latest report shows 248,000 Americans filed for unemployment, missing the 219,000 forecast by analysts. The report shows that roughly 2 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits. For comparison, 18.9 million Americans were getting benefits this time last year.
ABC NEWS– In a time of historic price increases, what do these sales weekends, like President’s Day, really mean for price drops? If you have a big ticket item you need to purchase in the next few months, this information is for you. ABC’s Becky Worley tells us abut the deals to be on the lookout for this weekend.
