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Month-Over-Month

  • 1.5% increase in existing-home sales to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million in September
  • 1.9% increase in unsold inventory to 1.60 million units, equal to 4.8 months’ supply

Year-Over-Year

  • 2.2% decrease in existing-home sales
  • 1.3% increase in median existing-home sales price to $417,500

WASHINGTON (October 13, 2026) – Existing-home sales increased by 1.5% month-over-month and decreased by 2.2% year-over-year, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Existing-Home Sales report. The report provides the real estate ecosystem, including agents, homebuyers and sellers, with data on home sales, prices and inventory.

Month-over-month sales increased in the South and West, held steady in the Midwest and declined in the Northeast. Year-over-year sales declined in all four regions.

“Despite the small monthly gain on a seasonally adjusted basis, August and September marked the two slowest months for home sales this year,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Further increases in mortgage rates in recent weeks mean fewer buyers can qualify to purchase a home.”

“Higher inventory and lengthening days on market give buyers improved negotiating power. Home sellers need to be realistic about local market conditions, which could require price discounts and other incentives to attract buyers,” Yun said.

National Snapshot

Total Existing-Home Sales for September

  • Existing-home sales increased 1.5% month-over-month.
  • Existing-home sales decreased 2.2% year-over-year to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million.

Inventory in September

  • Total housing inventory reached 1.60 million units, up 1.9% from August and 4.6% from September 2025.
  • Unsold inventory represented a 4.8-month supply, unchanged from August and up from 4.5 months one year ago.

Median Sales Price in September

  • The median existing-home price for all housing types was $417,500.
  • Prices increased 1.3% from one year ago ($412,300), marking the 39th consecutive month of year-over-year price gains.

Housing Affordability in September

  • The Housing Affordability Index registered 105.4, down from 106.7 one year ago.
  • Affordability declined year-over-year in three of the four regions:
    • Northeast: -4.5%
    • Midwest: -3.1%
    • South: -0.4%
    • West: +1.0%

Single-Family and Condo/Co-op Sales

Single-Family Homes in September

  • Sales increased 2.0% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.64 million, down 1.9% from September 2025.
  • The median single-family home price was $422,700, up 1.2% year-over-year.

Condominiums and Co-ops in September

  • Sales decreased 2.8% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 350,000.
  • Sales were down 5.4% from September 2025.
  • The median condo/co-op price was $363,700, up 1.2% year-over-year.

Regional Snapshot for Existing-Home Sales in September

Northeast

  • Sales declined 2.1% month-over-month to an annual rate of 470,000.
  • Sales were down 4.1% from September 2025.
  • Median price: $523,600, up 4.7% year-over-year.

Midwest

  • Sales were unchanged month-over-month at an annual rate of 930,000.
  • Sales were down 2.1% year-over-year.
  • Median price: $329,600, up 3.1% year-over-year.

South

  • Sales increased 2.8% month-over-month to an annual rate of 1.86 million.
  • Sales were down 0.5% from September 2025.
  • Median price: $361,000, up 0.2% year-over-year.

West

  • Sales increased 2.8% month-over-month to an annual rate of 730,000.
  • Sales were down 5.2% year-over-year.
  • Median price: $613,600, down 0.3% from September 2025.

REALTORS® Confidence Index for September

  • Median time on market: 33 days, up from 31 days in August and unchanged from September 2025.
  • First-time buyers represented 31% of sales, up from 30% in August and 30% one year ago.
  • Cash sales accounted for 27% of transactions, unchanged from last month and down from 30% one year ago.
  • Individual investors and second-home buyers accounted for 20% of transactions, up from 15% last month and one year ago.
  • Distressed sales represented 2% of transactions, unchanged from both last month and one year ago.

Mortgage Rates

  • The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.86% in September, up from 6.67% in August and 6.35% one year ago, according to Freddie Mac.

About the National Association of REALTORS®

The National Association of REALTORS® is involved in all aspects of residential and commercial real estate. The term REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. For free consumer guides about navigating the homebuying and selling transaction processes, from written buyer agreements to negotiating compensation, visit facts.realtor.

Information about NAR is available at nar.realtor. This and other news releases are posted in the newsroom at nar.realtor/newsroom. Statistical data in this release, as well as other tables and surveys, are posted in the Research and Statistics section.

Notes

1 Existing-home sales, which include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, are based on transaction closings from Multiple Listing Services (MLSs). Changes in sales trends outside of MLSs are not captured in the monthly series. NAR benchmarks home sales periodically using other sources to assess overall home sales trends, including sales not reported by MLSs.

Existing-home sales, based on closings, differ from the U.S. Census Bureau's series on new single-family home sales, which are based on contracts or the acceptance of a deposit. Because of these differences, it is not uncommon for each series to move in different directions in the same month. Existing-home sales account for more than 90% of total home sales and are based on a much larger data sample, approximately 40% of MLS data each month.

The annual rate for a particular month represents what the total number of actual sales for a year would be if that month's pace were maintained for 12 consecutive months. Seasonally adjusted annual rates are used to account for seasonal variations in resale activity.

Single-family home data collection began monthly in 1968, while condo data collection began quarterly in 1981. The series were combined in 1999 when monthly condo data collection began.

2 Total inventory and month's supply data are available back through 1999, while single-family inventory and month's supply data are available back to 1982.

3 The median price is the point at which half of homes sold for more and half sold for less. Median prices are generally more representative of market conditions than average prices, which can be skewed by higher-priced transactions.

The only valid comparisons for median prices are with the same period a year earlier because of seasonality in buying patterns. Month-to-month comparisons do not account for seasonal fluctuations.

The national median condo/co-op price is often higher than the national median single-family home price because condos are concentrated in higher-cost housing markets. Within a local market, however, single-family homes typically sell for more than condos.

4 Distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales), days on market, first-time buyers, all-cash transactions and investors are derived from NAR's monthly REALTORS® Confidence Index survey, available at nar.realtor.