Pending home sales rose 0.3% in August, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday, but were down 4.7% from a year earlier, with every region lower. The index stood at 71.2.
NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said contract signings are running about 30% below their pre-pandemic level.
Redfin’s more timely data looked weaker. Pending sales in the four weeks to September 13 fell 5.4% from a year earlier to their lowest level in nearly three years. One in five listings, 20.8%, had a price drop, and the typical home spent 46 days on the market.
Housing starts, released the same morning, told a split story: single-family starts rose 7.6% in August to a 918,000 annual pace, while apartment construction fell 21.7%.
Sources
- NAR, Pending Home Sales, August 2026
- Reuters via Virginia Business, pending home sales
- Redfin, pending sales at lowest in nearly 3 years
- Census Bureau, New Residential Construction, August 2026
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