October Existing Home Sales

October Existing Home Sales
Updated: 24-Nov-25 16:50 ETHighlights

Existing home sales increased 1.2% month-over-month in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.10 million (Briefing.com consensus 4.08 million) from a downwardly revised 4.05 million (from 4.06 million) in September.
Sales were up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Key Factors

The median existing home sales price for all housing types increased 2.1% year-over-year to $415,200, marking the twenty-eighth consecutive month of year-over-year increases. The median price for single-family homes rose 2.2% to $420,600.
Existing home sales month-over-month/year-over-year across regions: Northeast (0.0%/+4.3%); Midwest (+5.3%/+2.1%); South (+0.5%/+2.8%); and West (-1.3%/-2.6%).
Median home prices by region year-over-year: Northeast (+6.5% to $503,700); Midwest (+4.6% to $319,500); South (+0.3% to $362,300); and West (+0.1% to $628,500).
The inventory of homes for sale at the end of October was 1.52 million units, down 0.7% from September and up 10.9% from a year ago.
Unsold inventory sits at a 4.4-month supply at the current sales pace, down from 4.5 months in September and up from 4.1 months a year ago. This remains below the 6.0-month supply typically associated with a more balanced market.
First-time buyers accounted for 32% of transactions in October, up from 30% in September and versus 27% a year ago.
All-cash sales made up 29% of transactions in October, down from 30% in September and up from 27% a year ago.

Big Picture

The key takeaway from the report is that home sales in October were aided by lower mortgage rates, yet limited inventory in some regions, combined with high prices in others, got in the way of stronger selling activity.