Sonja Rudd
![Sonja Rudd](/assets/img/authors/unknown.jpg)
Sonja Rudd
commerce department economist home housing last market mortgage room sales says slump surprised week
New home sales surprised the experts. The Commerce Department said that new home sales were up by 13.8% for March, and last week used home sales were up as well. One economist says that the housing market still has a lot of room to maneuver and that a slump is more like a 'soft landing' for 2006. The 30-year mortgage is averaging 6.49% nationwide.