Pending home sales 2026 data show a 0.3% August rise, but remain 4.7% below last year as 30-year mortgage rates sit at 7.28%.
The National Association of REALTORS® will release September 2026 pending-home-sales figures on October 20 at 10 a.m. Eastern. The most recent data, covering August, show the Pending Home Sales Index rose 0.3% month-over-month yet fell 4.7% year-over-year, according to NAR.
As of October 1, 2026, FRED lists the 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.28%, the 15-year fixed at 6.6%, and the 10-year Treasury yield at 5.24%, producing a 2.04-percentage-point spread. These levels continue to suppress contract signings relative to pre-pandemic benchmarks.
August regional results were mixed:
| Region | MoM Change | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | –4.2% | –3.9% |
| Midwest | –1.6% | –4.9% |
| South | +2.1% | –4.5% |
| West | +1.8% | –5.6% |
The South and West posted the only monthly gains, while every region remained below year-ago levels.
Existing-home sales for August 2026 reached an annualized 3.98 million units, up 1.6% in median price from August 2025. Inventory climbed to 1.62 million homes, still below the six-month supply NAR considers balanced.
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun noted that pending contracts sit roughly 30% below the 2019 average, while payroll employment is 5% above that baseline. The gap underscores latent demand that could surface once mortgage rates ease or inventory expands.
Market participants can run live scenarios at HomeRates.ai to model how rate movements or inventory shifts would affect monthly payments in their metro.
Pending home sales 2026 remain range-bound near multi-year lows. Until mortgage rates fall below 6.5% or inventory rises materially, contract volume is unlikely to sustain meaningful growth.
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