REAL ESTATE METRICS

WASHINGTON -- April 26, 2006 -- Sales of new U.S. homes rose higher than many economists expected in March -- 13.8 percent -- the biggest one-month gain since April 1993, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.



The pace of new home sales rose to a seasonally adjusted 1.213 million unit annual rate from a downwardly revised 1.066 million-unit rate in February, the report said. The March sales pace was down 7.2 percent from the March 2005 rate.