On a year-over-year basis, existing home sales saw a slight decrease, only 1.2% lower than in 2025. However, on a month-over-month basis, existing home sales fell for the third consecutive month as a result of both elevated home prices and mortgage rates.
Homes stayed on the market for a median of 31 days in August 2026, up from 29 days in the previous month but unchanged from August 2025.
Last month, existing home sales decreased across the four major regions: Sales in the Northeast decreased 4.0%, in the Midwest 3.1% and in the South 1.6%. Sales in the West remained unchanged. Year-over-year, sales decreased 2.7% in the West, 2.1% in the Midwest and 2.0% in the Northeast. Sales in the South remained unchanged.
