New home sales increased in August. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of new single-family home sales climbed 6.4% to 684,000 from a revised 643,000 in July, the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported. That was 2% below the 698,000 pace in August 2025.
On a not seasonally adjusted basis, sales totaled 450,000 in January–August 2026, down 2.9% from 463,000 in January–August 2025.
The estimate for new houses for sale at the end of August was unchanged at 483,000 and was 2% lower than a year earlier. Supply fell 5.6% to 8.5 months at the current sales rate from 9 months in July. It was unchanged from 8.5 months in August 2025.
The number of completed homes for sale was 112,000 on a not seasonally adjusted basis, or 23% of the 487,000 homes for sale. Homes under construction made up 54% of the inventory, while 23% had not been started. Completed homes had been for sale for a median of 3.2 months.
The median sales price ticked up 0.4% to $393,700 from $392,200 in July. It was 5.8% lower than $417,900 a year earlier, while the average sales price dropped 9.1% to $478,700 from $526,400 in July. The average was 8.8% lower than $525,100 a year earlier, and homes priced under $300,000 accounted for 22% of sales, up from 19% in July and 18% in August 2025. Homes priced from $300,000 to $499,999 made up 52% of sales, while those priced at $500,000 and over made up 26%.
By region, Midwest sales surged 84.9% to 98,000 from 53,000 in July. South sales advanced 6.9% to 451,000 from 422,000. Northeast sales tumbled 36.1% to 23,000 from 36,000, while West sales sank 15.2% to 112,000 from 132,000.
From a year earlier, Midwest sales were 22.5% higher and South sales were 3.4% higher. Northeast sales were 20.7% lower, while West sales were 26.8% lower. In the first eight months of the year, Northeast sales were unchanged at 19,000 from the same period in 2025, and Midwest sales were 0.6% lower at 55,000. South sales were 1% lower at 280,000, while West sales were 10% lower at 95,000.