Census Overestimates October New Home Sales
The Census Bureau reported new home sales for October at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 632,000 units. Take the headline sales number with a huge grain of salt. The Census numbers are notorious for monthly revisions. It's reasonable to expect the October sales estimate will receive a haircut. Census estimates are obviously not capturing the spiking cancellation rates of home builders. The October estimate also does not fit with numbers builders have been reporting on actual sales in the latest quarter. The attached chart comparing Census estimates for sales vs the October spike in [...]