NAR Existing-Home Sales Report Shows 5.1% Increase in December 2025
MARKET CONDITIONSEXISTING-HOME SALES
NAR Existing-Home Sales Report Shows 5.1% Increase in December
National Association of REALTORS®, Media Relations | January 14, 2026
Month Over Month
5.1% increase in existing-home sales – seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.35 million in December
18.1% decrease in unsold inventory – 1.18 million units equal to 3.3 months' supply
Year Over Year
1.4% increase in existing-home sales
0.4% increase in median existing-home sales price to $405,400
WASHINGTON (January 14, 2026) – Existing-home sales increased by 5.1% in December, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Existing-Home Sales Report. The Report provides the real estate ecosystem – including agents and homebuyers and sellers – with data on the level of home sales, price, and inventory.
Month-over-month sales increased in all regions. Year-over-year sales increased in the South, remained flat in the Midwest and West, and decreased in the Northeast.
"2025 was another tough year for homebuyers, marked by record-high home prices and historically low home sales,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. "However, in the fourth quarter, conditions began improving, with lower mortgage rates and slower home price growth. December home sales, after adjusting for seasonal factors, were the strongest in nearly three years. The gains were broad-based, with all four major regions improving from the prior month."
"Inventory levels remain tight,” Yun added. "With fewer sellers feeling eager to move, homeowners are taking their time deciding when to list or delist their homes. Similar to past years, more inventory is expected to come to market beginning in February."
National Snapshot
Total Existing-Home Sales for December
5.1% increase in existing-home sales month over month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.35 million.
1.4% increase in sales year over year.
Inventory in December
1.18 million units: Total housing inventory, down 18.1% from November and up 3.5% from December 2024 (1.14 million).
3.3-month supply of unsold inventory, down from 4.2 months in November and up from 3.2 months in December 2024.
Median Sales Price in December
$405,400: Median existing-home price for all housing types, up 0.4% from one year ago ($403,700) – the 30th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.
Single-Family and Condo/Co-op Sales
Single-Family Homes in December
5.1% increase in sales month over month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.95 million, up 1.8% from December 2024.
$409,500: Median home price in December, up 0.2% from last year.
Condominiums and Co-ops in December
5.3% increase in sales month over month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 400,000, down 2.4% from last year.
$364,400: Median price, up 1.5% from December 2024.
Regional Snapshot for Existing-Home Sales in December
Northeast
2.0% increase in sales month over month to an annual rate of 520,000, down 1.9% year over year.
$496,700: Median price, up 3.7% from December 2024.
Midwest
2.0% increase in sales month over month to an annual rate of 1 million, unchanged year over year.
$306,000: Median price, up 3.1% from December 2024.
South
6.9% increase in sales month over month to an annual rate of 2.02 million, up 3.6% year over year.
$360,200: Median price, down 0.3% from December 2024.
West
6.6% increase in sales month over month for an annual rate of 810,000, unchanged year over year.
$605,600: Median price, down 1.4% from December 2024.
Mortgage Rates
6.19%: The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in December, according to Freddie Mac, down from 6.24% in November and 6.72% one year ago.
About the National Association of REALTORS®
The National Association of REALTORS® is involved in all aspects of residential and commercial real estate. The term REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Existing-home sales, which include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, are based on transaction closings from Multiple Listing Services. Changes in sales trends outside of MLSs are not captured in the monthly series. NAR benchmarks home sales periodically using other sources to assess overall home sales trends, including sales not reported by MLSs.
Existing-home sales, based on closings, differ from the U.S. Census Bureau’s series on new single-family home sales, which are based on contracts or the acceptance of a deposit. Because of these differences, it is not uncommon for each series to move in different directions in the same month. In addition, existing-home sales, which account for more than 90% of total home sales, are based on a much larger data sample – about 40% of multiple listing service data each month – and typically are not subject to large prior-month revisions.
The annual rate for a particular month represents what the total number of actual sales for a year would be if the relative pace for that month were maintained for 12 consecutive months. Seasonally adjusted annual rates are used in reporting monthly data to factor out seasonal variations in resale activity. For example, home sales volume is normally higher in the summer than in the winter, primarily because of differences in the weather and family buying patterns. However, seasonal factors cannot compensate for abnormal weather patterns.