WASHINGTON, United States (AP) — Sales of new homes rose a modest one per cent in July after a string of declines as new home prices soar to record levels. Sales last month reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 708,000, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Sales had fallen in April, May and June as builders confronted surging lumber prices and a shortage of workers.

Home prices continue their upward trajectory to new heights. The median price of a new home sold in July climbed to an unprecedented $390,500, up 18.4 per cent from a year ago, while the average sales price in July hit a record $446,000, up 17.6 per cent from a year ago.

Even with the small sales gain in July, new home sales are 27.2 per cent below the pace of a year ago. Sales peaked at a rate of 993,000 units in January but have cooled since then, though remain at historically high levels.

The surge in prices may start to slow in coming months as builders work to ramp up construction. The number of new homes for sale at the end of July stood at 367,000, up 5.5 per cent from the June inventory level and 26.1 per cent higher than a year ago.

“While demand for homes remains strong, high prices and backlogs in construction will temper sales in the months ahead,” said Nancy Vanden Houten, lead US economist at Oxford Economics.

The National Association of Realtors reported Monday that sales of existing homes rose two per cent in July compared to June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.99 million units while the price of an existing home sold in July climbed 17.8 per cent from a year ago to $359,900, near the all-time high set in June.

For July, new home sales fell in two regions of the country and rose in two regions. Sales dropped 24.1 per cent in the Northeast and were down 20.2 per cent in the Midwest. Sales showed a slight 1.3 per cent increase in the South and rose a stronger 14.4 per cent in the West.