Sales of new single-family homes accelerated in November to the fastest pace in more than two years, and the median sales price jumped from a year ago, the government said in a report Thursday that points to momentum in the U.S. housing sector. The Commerce Department said new-home sales rose 4.4 percent in November to an annual rate of 377,000 units, the fastest pace since April 2010. The gain was in line with economist expectations. Sales of new homes have increased 15.3 percent over the past year, but sales remain well below the 700,000-unit annual pace that economists consider healthy. This year, steady job gains and record-low mortgage rates have helped sales of both newly built and previously occupied homes.
