(Las Vegas, NV) – Las Vegas’ housing market continues to show some improvement.

Home Builders Research says 401 new homes were sold in Vegas during May, up from 291 sales a year earlier.  The median price of a new home last month was just over $193,000, a one-percent increase from May 2011.

For the year so far, new home sales are up 23-percent.  Builders seem to feel more optimistic.  More than 2,200 new home permits have been issued for the first five months of 2012, up 44-percent from last year.