Existing-Home Sales Rise 1.5% in September to a Record September Price, NAR Says

Existing-home sales ticked up in September, but the two-month picture stayed slow. Sales rose 1.5% from August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million, according to the National Association of Realtors report released Oct. 13 and summarized by RealtyTimes, while sales were 2.2% lower than in September 2025. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a rate of 3.95 million, according to Reuters coverage of the release.

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun noted that, despite the small monthly gain, August and September marked the two slowest months for home sales this year, and that further increases in mortgage rates in recent weeks mean fewer buyers can qualify to purchase a home. He also said higher inventory and lengthening days on market give buyers improved negotiating power, and that sellers need to be realistic, which could require price discounts and other incentives.

Inventory and prices both rose. Total housing inventory reached 1.60 million units, up 1.9% from August and 4.6% from a year earlier, equal to 4.8 months of supply, unchanged from August and up from 4.5 months a year ago. Reuters noted that level is the highest since November 2019. The median existing-home price was $417,500, up 1.3% from a year ago and the 39th consecutive month of year-over-year gains, which NAR and Reuters described as the highest for any September.

The regional split matters for the West. Sales rose 2.8% in the West in September but were still down 5.2% year over year, the steepest annual drop of the four regions, and the Western median price was $613,600, down 0.3% from a year earlier. Nationally, homes took a median 33 days to sell, up from 31 days in August, first-time buyers were 31% of sales, and the average 30-year fixed rate in September was 6.86% in Freddie Mac data cited by NAR, up from 6.67% in August.

For South Bay readers, the September national data lines up with recent local reports: more choice and more time on market for buyers, but no broad price break, and a rate level in late September that has since moved higher into the mid-7s. Sellers who price realistically from the start are the ones Yun's comments point to.

Source: National Association of Realtors via RealtyTimes, Existing-Home Sales Increased 1.5% in September, Oct. 13, 2026 - https://realtytimes.com/component/content/article/existing-home-sales-increased-1-5-in-september-according-to-nar-report

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