WASHINGTON -- Sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 6.6% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 307,000 units, their best pace since June, according to data released by the U.S. Commerce Department.

"The fact that new-home sales are finally moving in the right direction - albeit slowly - is definitely good news following an exceptionally quiet summer at builders' sales offices and model homes," said Bob Jones, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Bloomfield Hills, MI.

"Beyond the higher sales figure, another positive piece of data provided by today's report was the number of newly built, unsold homes on the market, which has been steadily declining since spring of 2007 and fell again to a modest 205,000 units in September," said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. "

Sales of newly built homes rose in three out of four regions in September, with the Northeast posting a 3.4% gain, the South a 3.2% gain, and the Midwest a 60.6% gain following a big decline in August. The West posted a 9.9% decline in new-home sales for September.

Read the National Association of Home Builders' press release.