increase in new homes and in median cost

Recent reports show that the number of new homes built during the month of February increased 9.4% over that of the month of January. Sales were projected to be much lower because of bad weather conditions, but many sources point to the anticipated increase in interst rates as a key factor of this growth.

One fact caught my eye at the end of the article. It said that the median cost of a home in the US built during this time rose 15% to $230,700. What factors have contributed to this increase, and what about the lower class americans. Could this increase in housing cost make owning your own home to expensive for many americans, or will all these new homes being built create a surplus of pre owned homes driving the price down? What do you think?