September US Existing Home Sales Rise More Than Expected

10:00 AM EDT, 10/13/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The pace of US existing home sales rose by 1.5% to a 3.99 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in September from 3.93 million in August, compared with a smaller expected increase to a 3.95 million rate in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:50 am ET, data from the National Association of Realtors released Tuesday showed. Total sales were still down 2.2% from a year earlier. "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." Sales of single-family homes were up 2%, while condominium sales fell by 2.8%. Sales rose in the South and West regions of the country, fell in the Northeast region and held steady in the Midwest region. It fell in all four regions of the country when compared with a year earlier. Homes remained on the market a median of 33 days, up from 31 days in August, but unchanged from a year ago. The supply of homes for sale increased to 1.60 million homes in September from 1.57 million in August, up 4.6% from the 1.53 million level a year ago. The month supply on market remained at 4.8 months in September but was higher than the 4.5-month supply a year ago. The median home price decreased to $417,500 from $427,700 but were up 1.3% from $412,300 level one year ago. "Higher inventory and lengthening days on market give buyers improved negotiating power," Yun said. "Home sellers need to be realistic about local market conditions, which could require price discounts and other incentives to attract buyers." The monthly existing home sales report from the National Association of Realtors measures sales of single-family and multi-family homes for resale at the time of closing, including the number of existing homes available and the median sales price. A strong reading is a positive sign for mortgage lenders and related consumer product companies.