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May new home sales fell for the first time in three months, declining 2.1% to 319,000, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Economists had forecast the May rate to be 310,000, Bloomberg reported.

The median price decreased 3.4% from the same month in 2010 to $222,600.

Sales fell in two of four regions, led by a 27% plunge in the Northeast. Demand slipped 3.5% in the West, was little changed in the Midwest and climbed 2.4% in the South.Ìý

New home sales account for about 15% of residential real estate sales. Rising home sales can mean more business for flatbed trucking companies that haul building materials and dry van freight carriers that haul household appliances and furniture.