Sales of existing homes in the United States registered a new setback in October, falling 5.5% versus September and 8.8% compared with the same month of the previous year. On an annualized basis, activity stood at 3.75 million units, the lowest figure since August 2010, according to data released this Thursday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
During the tenth month of 2026, transactions contracted in the Midwest, the South and the West of the country, while the Northeast remained unchanged. Compared with October 2025, the sales volume fell in all areas of the country, without exception.
"Buying a home is difficult when mortgage rates have reached their highest levels since the year 2000," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the NAR.
The association emphasizes that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage interest rate surpassed 7% at the end of September and has remained at high levels since then. Specifically, the average 30-year interest rate stood at 7.33% in October, compared with the 6.25% recorded one year earlier, according to Freddie Mac figures.
The rise in the cost of credit has translated into an approximate increase of 216 dollars (194 euros) per month in the payment on a $300,000 mortgage ($269,300 euros) compared with the previous year, which has worsened buying capacity and has kept numerous potential buyers out of the market.
At the same time, the total stock of available homes in October rose to 1.59 million properties, representing an increase of 1.3% over September and 4.6% in relation to October 2025. With this level of supply, the unsold inventory would cover demand of 5.1 months, above the 4.7 months of September and the 4.4 months of one year earlier.
For its part, the median sales price in October for used homes of all types stood at $416,700 ($374,478 euros), 0.4% higher than twelve months earlier, thus chaining the fortieth consecutive month of year-on-year increases.