+0.3%

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Pending home sales increased by 0.3% month over month in August and decreased by 4.7% and by 2.2% year over year. Month over month pending home sales increased in the South and West but declined in the Northeast and Midwest. Year over year pending home sales fell across all four major U.S. regions.

“Buyers steadily entered into contracts in August even though mortgage rates increased,” said NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. “However, the housing market is still sluggish, with contract signings below last year. This is due to higher mortgage rates offsetting the increased buying power created by job gains and income growth outpacing home price growth.”

Yun added, “The Northeast and the Midwest saw the fastest home price growth in August, which is part of the reason that those same two regions posted the steepest declines in contract signings. Nationally, contract signings today are running roughly 30% below where they were in the years leading up to the pandemic.”

Read the full news release.

Next release: Pending Home Sales for September 2026 will be released on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 10 a.m. Eastern.

The Pending Home Sales Index (PHS), a leading indicator of housing activity, measures housing contract activity, and is based on signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes, condos, and co-ops. Because a home goes under contract a month or two before it is sold, the Pending Home Sales Index generally leads Existing-Home Sales by a month or two.

Pending Home Sales data are provided by NAR solely for use as a reference. No part of the data may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or redistributed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without NAR's prior written consent for those who are not members of NAR.

Members of the media who need copies of previous months' pending home sales news releases can contact the NAR media communications team at 202-383-7515.

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Pending Home Sales for September 2026 will be released on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 10 a.m. Eastern.

The NAR Public Affairs Office issues a news release on or near the 20th of each month with the latest existing-home sales figures. The releases include analysis and quotes by NAR's Chief Economist Lawrence Yun regarding the sales volume, prices, inventory and interest rates.

NAR Research Data Release Dates