Existing-Home Sales Declined 5.5% in October

Washington, DC, November 12, 2026—Existing-home sales decreased by 5.5% month-over-month in October and decreased by 8.8% year-over-year, according to the National Association of Realtors Existing-Home Sales report. 

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

“Home buying is difficult when mortgage rates have climbed to their highest levels since 2000, aside from a single month in 2023. As a result, home sales fell to their lowest level since August 2010,” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun.

“Despite fewer transactions in October, the 88 million homeowners across the country are largely in a comfortable financial position due to sizable housing wealth accumulation. The number of distressed property sales remains historically low at only 2% of all transactions,” Yun said. “Based on the current underwhelming home sales pace at a time of consistent job growth, there could be sizable pent-up demand if mortgage rates decline.”

Total Existing-Home Sales for October

• Existing-home sales decreased 5.5% month-over-month.
• Existing-home sales decreased 8.8% year-over-year to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.75 million.

Inventory in October

• Total housing inventory was 1.59 million units, up 1.3% from September and 4.6% from October 2025.
• Unsold inventory represented a 5.1-month supply, up from 4.7 months in September and 4.4 months in October 2025.

Median Sales Price in October

• The median existing-home price for all housing types was $416,700.
• The median price increased 0.4% from $414,900 one year ago, marking the 40th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.