New home sales fell in December in Western U.S.

Sales of new homes in the Western U.S. were down in December. Nationwide, new home sales fell in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 369,000, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. 

That’s down from 398,000 in November, the fastest rate of sales in more than two years.

In the Western part of the United States , new home sales fell 11 percent between November and December. The Midwest was the only part of the country that showed a gain.

Still, the rate of new home sales for all of last year was the highest it’s been since 2009 … but well below the level that many economists consider healthy.