By Rex Nutting
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Sales of new U.S. homes fell 7.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 342,000 in December from 370,000 in November after a popular tax credit for buyers was set to expire, the Commerce Department estimated Wednesday. It was the lowest seasonally adjusted sales pace since March. For all of 2009, sales of new homes fell 8.6% to a record-low level of 374,000, down about 23% from 2008's level. The records date back to 1963. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch were looking for a small gain in December to about 365,000. The number of unsold homes dropped 1.7% to 231,000, the lowest in 38 years.
