# US existing-home sales fall 2.0% in August as inventory hits a decade high

> Sales dropped to an annual rate of 3.98 million, the first time below 4 million since June 2025, while the median price rose 1.6% to $429,100, the National Association of Realtors said.

- Canonical URL: https://forextradingcommunity.com/news/us-existing-home-sales-august-2026/
- Type: Data
- Published: 2026-09-18
- Updated: 2026-09-18
- Publisher: Forex Trading Community (https://forextradingcommunity.com), FTC Editorial Team
- Currencies: USD

The National Association of Realtors published its Existing-Home Sales report for August 2026 on 10 September.

## The figures

- **Existing-home sales**: down 2.0% from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million, and down 1.2% from August 2025. The last time sales fell below 4.0 million was June 2025
- **Total housing inventory**: 1.62 million units, up 3.2% from July and 5.9% from a year earlier, the first time above 1.6 million since November 2019
- **Months' supply**: 4.9 months, up from 4.6 in July, its highest level in more than ten years
- **Median existing-home price**: $429,100, up 1.6% from $422,400 a year earlier, the 38th consecutive month of annual price gains
- **Housing Affordability Index**: 104.7, up from 101.2 a year earlier

## By region

Sales held steady in the West but declined in the Northeast, Midwest and South month on month. Year on year, sales were unchanged in the South and lower in the other three regions.

## By type

- **Single-family homes**: sales down 1.9% on the month to an annual rate of 3.62 million, median price $434,800 (+1.7% year on year)
- **Condos and co-ops**: sales down 2.7% to an annual rate of 360,000, median price $371,600 (+1.5%)

## What NAR said

Chief Economist Lawrence Yun linked the dip to mortgage rates, which move inversely with sales, but pointed to supportive fundamentals: existing-home sales are up 1.6% year-to-date through August, wages grew 3.1% over the year, and 643,000 net new jobs have been added since the start of 2026. He called the rise in months' supply to a decade high a sign that "the ample supply of homes for sale on the market is giving homebuyers better opportunities to negotiate."

## Why it matters for the dollar

Housing is sensitive to the interest rate path the Federal Reserve set on 16 September, when it raised its target range to 3.75%–4.00% ([report](/news/fed-raises-rates-september-2026/)). A cooling but still price-rising housing market is consistent with the mixed signals the Fed cited: resilient spending alongside elevated inflation. September's existing-home sales are due 13 October. Live prices: the [US 500](/markets/us-500/).

## Sources

- [National Association of Realtors: NAR Existing-Home Sales Report Shows 2.0% Decrease in August](https://www.nar.realtor/newsroom/nar-existing-home-sales-report-shows-2-0-decrease-in-august)
- [National Association of Realtors: Existing-Home Sales](https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/housing-statistics/existing-home-sales)

## Common questions

### How much did US existing-home sales fall in August 2026?

Existing-home sales fell 2.0% from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million, and were 1.2% lower than a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors.

### What is the median US existing-home price?

$429,100 in August 2026, up 1.6% from $422,400 a year earlier, marking the 38th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

### How much housing inventory is there in the US?

1.62 million units in August 2026, a 4.9-month supply at the current sales pace, the highest level in more than ten years, according to the National Association of Realtors.

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