WASHINGTON—Sales of new homes ramped up at the start of 2019, in a positive sign after a weak stretch for the housing market. Purchases of newly built single-family homes—a relatively narrow slice of all U.S. home sales—rose 4.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000 in February, the Commerce Department said Friday. That is the highest level since last March and marks a significant upturn in new-home sales after being largely flat throughout 2018.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 29, 2019 14:02 UTC