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August Home Price Plunge Is Biggest Since 1970

New-home sales also off more than forecast

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 27, 2007 12:44 PM CDT

(Newser) – New-home sales fell 8.3% in August, Bloomberg reports, a greater decline than predicted. Housing prices fell over last year, with the 7.5% decrease the biggest drop since 1970. Sales fell to an annual pace of 795,000, lowest in seven years. And that may not signal the housing market’s nadir: One CEO said the industry won’t bottom out until late 2008.

A spike in defaults among subprime mortgage borrowers indirectly triggered the drop in new-home sales, as stricter lending requirements were written—and Americans found it more difficult to take out loans. "We see no signs that the housing market is stabilizing and believe it will be some time before a recovery begins," one executive said.

A new KB Home development is seen in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept, 26 , 2007. KB Home said Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007 it swung to a loss in the third quarter, despite a hefty gain from the sale of its French operations, as the housing market deteriorated further in the summer...
A new KB Home development is seen in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept, 26 , 2007. KB Home said Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007 it swung to a loss in the third quarter, despite a hefty gain from the sale of its French...   (Associated Press)
Luis Rodarte, right, a carpenter, gathers his tools after completing work on a house built by KB Home in this Nov. 13, 2006 file photo, in Riverside, Calif. KB Home said Thursday, June 28, 2007 it swung to a loss in the fiscal second quarter, as the homebuilder booked a...
Luis Rodarte, right, a carpenter, gathers his tools after completing work on a house built by KB Home in this Nov. 13, 2006 file photo, in Riverside, Calif. KB Home said Thursday, June 28, 2007 it swung...   (Associated Press)
KB Home President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Mezger sits for a portrait in the company's corporate headquarters in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, Tuesday, April 10, 2007. The chief executive of KB Home, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, said Tuesday he expects the housing slump to worsen,...
KB Home President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Mezger sits for a portrait in the company's corporate headquarters in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, Tuesday, April 10, 2007. The chief executive...   (Associated Press)
A new KB Home development is seen under construction in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept, 26 , 2007. New-homes sales tumbled in August to the lowest level in seven years, a stark sign that the credit crunch is aggravating an already painful housing slump. Sales of new homes dropped by 8.3...
A new KB Home development is seen under construction in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept, 26 , 2007. New-homes sales tumbled in August to the lowest level in seven years, a stark sign that the credit crunch...   (Associated Press)
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