New home sales rose 2.7 percent nationally in September to a seasonally adjusted rate of 464,000. The Associated Press has dubbed the rise "unexpected" in a good way. This comes two weeks after the federal government said new home construction declined 6 percent in September.

Forgive me for looking for gold among the dross, but a few more months of okay sales and waning construction should help get the market back into balance. I've repeated this point a bunch of times: Slower home construction can be good for the economy if it forces builders to whittle down unsold inventory.

We've still got a massive housing glut of existing homes, but the new home market stands apart to a certain extent. You'll always have demand, especially in Florida, for fresh paint, mildew-free roof tiles and made-to-order kitchen cabinets and bathroom fixtures.

I'll be posting local new home sales statistics later this week. From what I'm hearing the news isn't too grand. That will surprise no one who's been following all the builder going-out-of-business sales this year.