It was the strongest print since October 2007.
Economists had forecast that sales of new single-family houses fell 2% at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 580,000, according to Bloomberg.
New home sales data are among the volatile monthly numbers on the housing market, and are subject to revision. Last month's data for June sales, revised lower, showed a 1.7% rise at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 582,000, which was a cycle high.