Americans paid roughly a quarter more for...

Americans paid roughly a quarter more for new homes last summer than they would have in 1982 because they bought bigger and better equipped houses, the Census Bureau reported. The bureau said its quarterly price index of home sales found the average American paid $132,000 for a new house between July and September. But for homes sold in the period that were roughly equal to houses sold in 1982, the average price was $99,300, the agency said.