Existing home sales in the United States declined 1.7% in July 2026 from the prior month, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.05 million units, roughly in line with market expectations of 4.06 million. This followed a 1.4% drop in June. By region, sales fell in the South (-3.1%) and Midwest (-2.0%), were essentially flat in the West, and rose 2.0% in the Northeast.
Total housing inventory slipped 1.9% to 1.54 million units, while the median price for all housing types reached $434,100, up 2.0% from a year earlier. “Home sales have been remarkably stable, even amid the rising mortgage rate environment of the past few months,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Year-to-date sales are up 2.4%, and there’s no doubt that the housing market would be thriving if average mortgage rates were to return near 6%.”
