Dive Brief:

• In August, new home sales in the U.S. increased by 5.7% to an adjusted yearly rate of 552,000 the Commerce Department reported Thursday. 

• Those numbers indicate the housing market, which is at a new post-recession high, beating out the previous high mark in February (annual rate 545,000) in February — a sign the recovery is extending into the second half of 2015.

• The median sales price of new houses sold in August was $292,700. The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of August was 216,000, which represents a supply of 4.7 months at the current sales rate.

Dive Insight:

The increase beat an expected rate of 515,000 put forth by economists and bodes well for the market's future. The bump also signals that low-interest rates and a healthier job market are supporting the new housing demand. 

Last week, Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen said as much, "Demand for housing should be there and should materialize as the job market improves and income growth improves."

While existing homes tumbled in August, new home sales are 21.6% higher compared to August 2014.