US New Home Sales Rise to YTD High

Sales of new single-family homes in the US jumped 6.4% from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 684,000 in August 2026. It was the highest level of sales since the start of the year, beating market expectations of 620,000, even though hawkish Federal Reserve expectations lifted mortgage rates during the period. Sales surged in the Midwest (84.9% to 98,000) and edged higher in the South (6.9% to 451,000), which was enough to offset declines in the Northeast (-36.1% to 23,000) and the West (-15.2% to 112,000). The outstanding supply of new houses was unchanged at 483,000, equivalent to 8.5 months of supply at the current sales pace. Meanwhile, the median sales price inched higher to $393,700.

Sales of new single-family homes in the US sank by 10.5% from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 607,000 homes in July of 2026. This was the sharpest drop and the lowest level since January, missing market expectations of a softer decline to 620,000. Sales plummeted in the Midwest (-43% to 43,000) and fell sharply in the South (-13% to 383,000), offsetting the increase in the Northeast (30% to 43,000) and the West (6.2% to 138,000). The outstanding supply of new houses for sale at the end of the period was at 488,000, around 9.6 months of supply at the latest sales rate. Meanwhile, the median sales price was $393,800, in the period, the lowest in over one year.

Sales of new single-family homes in the US increased 1.6% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 628 thousand in June 2026, following a revised 4.3% drop to 618 thousand in May and compared to forecasts of 610 thousand. The increase, the first in three months, likely reflected continued discounting by builders, who have been offering incentives and reducing prices to support demand amid challenging market conditions. Sales rose in the South (9.9% to 412 thousand), the Northeast (3.6% to 29 thousand), and the Midwest (2.5% to 83 thousand), but fell 22.4% to 104 thousand in the West. Meanwhile, housing supply edged down 0.2% to 485,000 units, equivalent to 9.3 months of supply at the last sales rate. Also, the median sales price of homes was at $398,300, compared to $412,000 in May and $409,200 a year earlier.