Fewer people in the United States bought new homes in June, evidence that the housing market remains weak, a government report showed on Tuesday. The Commerce Department said sales fell 1.0 percent to a 312,000-unit annual rate as sales in the Northeast tumbled to a record low. Sales were also pulled down by a sharp drop in the West. Economists had forecast sales at a 320,000-unit rate. In the 12 months through June, new homes sales rose 1.6 percent, the department said. The report also showed that median sales price for a new home increased 5.8 percent last month to $235,200. Compared to June of last year, the median price rose 7.2 percent.
