The increased sales still lag far behind figures from a year ago, falling 42 percent below the 907,000 one-family homes sold in April 2007.

The median sales price of a new home sold in April was $246,100 with an average price of $321,000.

The Commerce Department said 456,000 new homes were on the market in the United States at the end of the month -- a seasonally adjusted estimate. At current prices, it would take 10.6 months for the homes to sell, the report said.