New-home sales in 2010 fall to lowest in 47 years

New-home sales in 2010 fall to lowest in 47 years
Buyers purchased fewest number of new homes last year in nearly half a century

Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer, On Wednesday January 26, 2011, 11:01 am EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Buyers purchased the fewest number of new homes last year on records going back 47 years.

Sales for all of 2010 totaled 321,000, a drop of 14.4 percent from the 375,000 homes sold in 2009, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. It was the fifth consecutive year that sales have declined after hitting record highs for the five previous years when the housing market was booming.

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