WASHINGTON Tue Jan 27, 2015 10:18am EST

Sales of new U.S. single-family homes jumped in December, unwinding the prior month's decline, but the overall trend remained consistent with a gradual  1stZqXn" housingmarket improvement.

The Commerce Department said on Tuesday that sales increased 11.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 481,000 units. November's sales pace was revised down to 431,000 units from 438,000 units.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast new home sales rising to a 450,000-unit pace last month.

New home sales, which account for about 8 percent of thehousing market, moved sideways for much of 2014, with a total of 435,000 homes sold compared with 429,000 in 2013.