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Pending Home Sales Rise 0.3% in August, Down 4.7% YoY

  • by- Grihik
  • Oct 1, 2026
NAR's pending home sales index edged up 0.3% in August but remains 4.7% below last year. See which US regions gained and which fell.
Pending Home Sales Rise 0.3% in August, Down 4.7% YoY

October 1, 2026 | Signed contracts to buy existing homes rose 0.3% in August from July but were 4.7% lower than a year earlier, NAR reported on September 17. The Pending Home Sales Index stood at 71.2, roughly 30% below pre-pandemic levels, according to HousingWire.

Regional breakdown (month over month)

  • South: +2.3%, index 86.2

  • West: +3.0%, index 54.3

  • Midwest: -1.6%, index 72.1

  • Northeast: -4.2%, index 61.6

Year over year, all four regions declined. The South saw the smallest drop (-3.8%) and the West the largest (-6.7%).

 

 

Why it matters

Pending sales lead closed sales by one to two months, so they offer an early read on what existing-home sales may look like this fall. NAR said higher mortgage rates continued to weigh on buyers even though job growth, rising incomes and better purchasing power are helping.

What to watch

The September pending sales report is scheduled for October 20, 2026 at 10 a.m. Eastern. With mortgage rates now above 7%, analysts will be watching whether contract signings stall.