Sales of new single-family homes in the Northeast in July rose 40 percent to 35,000, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. June’s revised annual rate was 25,000. Nationally, new home sales were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 654,000, up 12.4 percent from June. This is 31.3 percent above they July 2015 total of 498,000. Learn more here.