by September sales also declined from August, suggesting a slowdown in consumers moving before the start of the school year
WASHINGTON — Typically we report on existing and new home sales separately each month as they each contain noteworthy updates about the housing market.
With the furniture market kicking off just as existing home sales were reported earlier this month, we instead focused on market coverage knowing the stats would not change from when they were first reported. This also allows us to report on more recently released new home sales and how they compare to what’s happening in the existing home sales market.
First, here’s a big-picture overview of new home sales released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development earlier this week.
New single-family home sales totaled 676,000, 5.3% below 714,000 in September 2025 and .6% below 680,000 in August.
Year-over-year sales rose in the Northeast and declined in the Midwest, South and West, while month-over-month sales rose in the Northeast and West but declined in the Midwest and South.
The median sales price was $400,400, 3.9% below $416,800 in September 2025 and 3.9% above $385,400 in August. The average new home sale price was $472,800, 6.7% below $506,800 in September 2025 and .4% above $470,800 in August.
The report also noted that there were 476,000 new homes for sale at the end of September, 2.3% below 487,000 in September 2025 and 1% below 481,000 in August. The report said this represents an 8.4-month supply at the current sales rate, which is 2.4% below 8.2 months in September 2025 and 1.2% below 8.5% in August.
By comparison, existing home sales decreased 2.2% from September 2025 to 3.99 million and decreased 1.5% from August, according to the National Association of Realtors. The NAR said year-over-year sales activity declined in all four regions of the U.S., while month-over-month sales rose in the South and West, declined in the Northeast and were level in the Midwest.
Single-family homes sales of 3.64 million represented 91.2% of the total, down 1.9% from September 2025 and up 2% from August. Condo and co-op sales were down 5.4% from September 2025 and down 2.8% from September.
The NAR report also said that the median existing-home price for all housing types was $417,500, up 1.3% from $412,300 in September 2025, marking the 39th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases. The median single-family home price was $422,700, up 1.2% year-over-year, while the median condo/co-op sales price was $363,700, up 1.2% year-over-year.
Housing inventory totaled 1.6 million units, up 4.6% from September 2025 and up 1.9% from August, while unsold inventory represented a 4.8-month supply, up from 4.5 months in September 2025 and unchanged from August.
While existing home sales declined at a much slower rate than new home sales, the question is how long they can outperform new home sales, particularly given current elevated prices. It’s worth noting that the median price of existing homes, again up for the 39th consecutive month year-over-year, was $417,500, compared to the median new home price of $400,400.
With interest rates not expected to come down anytime soon, consumers will always gravitate to what’s within their reach and what’s most affordable. The good news for homebuilders is that much new construction seems to be more price competitive, thanks in part to efforts to offer incentives and other financial perks to buyers.
A more affordable house payment means having more room in the budget for other purchases including furniture. How well the industry does will depend largely on housing activity by region and on the local level. While a major rebound in housing activity is not likely anytime soon, one segment — be it new or existing home sales — will likely continue to outperform the other in the overall marketplace and this is perhaps where industry hopes may lie in the year ahead and beyond.
