New home sales rose 16.9% in November, but were still down from 2017

After experiencing the longest recorded partial government shutdown in American history, the Census Bureau and HUD finally released November’s new home sales data. According to their data, new home sales rose 16.9% in November. However, Zillow Senior Economist Aaron Terrazas said that even after an autumn that proved stronger than first reported, new home sales were poised to end 2018 down decidedly from a year ago.