(FILES) A for sale sign in front of a home in Arlington, Virginia, on August 22, 2023. New home sales in the United States reached their highest in three years in 2024, according to government data released on January 27, 2025, boosted in recent years by a lack of existing homes on the market. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)