Sales of new homes took their biggest leap in 14 years in April, but analysts said it may be too soon to declare that the housing slump is ended. Some said a steep drop in the price of a typical new house indicated that the revival may be due to nothing more than bargain-hunting among buyers. Builders have been lowering price tags and offering layers of incentives to bring prospects into their sales centers.

But a steep drop in the number of unsold homes sitting on the market serves as a positive sign, said housing consultant Steve Hovany. “There are clear signs that the market has stopped falling, even though it will take the rest of this year for the industry to sort itself out,” said Hovany, of Strategy Planning Associates in Schaumburg.

Overall, sales rose 16 percent, to an annual pace of 981,000 last month, from a rate of 844,000 in March, the Commerce Department reported. The supply of new, unsold homes dropped to 532,000 from 540,000 a month earlier. That left the supply of homes at the current sales rate at 6.5 months’ worth, the lowest this year, compared with 8.1 months in March.

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