GLOPRAGlobal Property Radar

US existing-home sales rise 1.5% to 3.99 million in September 2026

US existing-home sales rose 1.5% in September 2026 to 3.99 million, the median price reached $417,500 and inventory was 4.6% higher than a year ago.

The facts

  • Existing-home sales rose +1.5% from August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million, and were 2.2% below September 2025.
  • The median existing-home price was $417,500, up 1.3% from $412,300 a year earlier.
  • Inventory reached 1.60 million homes, 4.6% more than in September 2025, equal to 4.8 months of supply against 4.5 months a year ago.
  • The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.86% in September, up from 6.67% in August and 6.35% a year earlier, on Freddie Mac data.
  • Median price change over 12 months by region: Northeast 4.7%, Midwest 3.1%, South 0.2%, West -0.3%.
  • Asking prices per square foot averaged 224 dollars nationally in August 2026, on listings data redistributed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; asking levels sit above completed sale prices, so the two series do not match.

What it means for your money

  • Entry prices have almost stopped rising. The median is up 1.3% in a year, and in the West it is -0.3%.
  • Borrowing is now the expensive part: at 6.86% against 6.35% a year ago, the same purchase price demands a larger monthly payment.
  • Sellers meet the other side of that: a median 33 days to sell and 4.8 months of supply leave less pricing power on resale.

What to watch

  • October sales are published on 12 November 2026, the first test of whether the autumn rate rise reaches completed purchases.
  • The share taken by individual investors and second-home buyers jumped from 15% to 20% in one month; a single month is not a trend.

Sources: National Association of Realtors, Existing-Home Sales September 2026, Washington DC, 13 October 2026 https://www.nar.realtor/newsroom/existing-home-sales-increased-1-5-in-september-according-to-nar-report; Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Median Listing Price per Square Feet in the United States, August 2026 https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEDLISPRIPERSQUFEEUS

Market data: New York (metro area) · Miami (metro area) · United States · Los Angeles (metro area)