Cost of new houses hit $84,000 average in April

The average new house cost a record $84,000 in April, the Commerce Department said, and sales of new dwellings drpped to their second-lowest annual rate in 11 years. As new housing got further out of reach for most Americans, sales of new houses in April dropped to 441,000 units at an annual rate. It was the lowest since the April 1980 rate of 353,000 un its.