NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — New home construction rose more than expected in January, while the number of building permits issued in the month dropped, according to a government report issued Wednesday.
Construction of new homes climbed to an annual rate of 591,000 during the month, up 2.8% from December’s revised rate of 575,000, the Commerce Department said. This is an increase of 21.1% from the 488,000 rate in January 2009.
Economists surveyed by Briefing.com expected January housing starts to rise to an annual rate of 580,000.
"We’re continuing to see signs of stabilization," said real estate analyst Mike Larson of Weiss Research. "We had this Olympic ski slope-looking plunge starting in 2005 and 2006, and it looks like we’re almost getting to the bottom of that."
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