Loan applications for new-home purchases were up 19% from a year ago, according to a survey of builders by the Mortgage Bankers Association that's been an accurate predictor of trends
Applications are still up year-over-year, however
Drop in loan applications for newly built homes in line with overall slowdown in purchase mortgage market, MBA says
Numbers show increase in starts, much to the delight of builders — but housing recovery challenges remain
Trade group survey sees increase of just 1 percent in June after decreasing 9 percent in May