Existing-Home Sales Rose by 1.2% in October
Washington, DC, November 20, 2025-Existing-home sales increased by 1.2% in October, according to the National Association of Realtors Existing-Home Sales Report.
Month-over-month sales increased in the Midwest and South, showed no change in the Northeast, and fell in the West. Year-over-year sales rose in the Northeast, Midwest and South, and decreased in the West.
"Home sales increased in October even with the government shutdown due to homebuyers taking advantage of lower mortgage rates," said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun. "First-time homebuyers are facing headwinds in the Northeast due to a lack of supply and in the West because of high home prices. First-time buyers fared better in the Midwest because of the plentiful supply of affordable houses and in the South because there is sufficient inventory."
"Rents are decelerating which will reduce inflation and encourage the Federal Reserve to continue cutting rates and pulling back their quantitative tightening," Yun added. "This will help bring more homebuyers into the market since the Fed rate has an indirect impact on mortgage rates."
Total Existing-Home Sales for October
- 1.2% increase in existing-home sales month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.10 million
- 1.7% increase in sales year-over-year
Inventory in October
- 1.52 million units: Total housing inventory, down 0.7% from September and up 10.9% from October 2024 (1.37 million)
- 4.4-month supply of unsold inventory, down from 4.5 months in September and up from 4.1 months in October 2024
Median Sales Price in October
- $415,200: Median existing-home price for all housing types, up 2.1% from one year ago ($406,800)-the 28th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases