New Home Sales Fall in December

New home sales slipped 2.2% in December, the first decline in four months, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Sales fell to an annual rate of 307,000, below economists’ median forecast of 321,000, Bloomberg reported.

The downturn was led by a 10.1% drop in the South, the largest decline since May 2010. Sales jumped 46.7% in the Northeast after a 16.7% drop in November.

New home sales account for about 15% of residential real estate sales. Rising home sales can mean more business for flatbed trucking companies that haul building materials and dry van freight carriers that haul household appliances and furniture.