US Existing Home Sales Fall the Most in 4 Years

Existing home sales in the United States sank by 8.4% from the previous month to an annualized rate of 3.91 million in January of 2026, firmly below market expectations of 4.18 million, after having reached a 3-year high of 4.35 million in the last month of 2025. It was the sharpest drop in nearly 4 years to the lowest level since September 2024. Unsold inventory fell by 0.8% to 1.22 million units, equal to 3.7 months of supply. “The below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation this January make it harder than usual to assess the underlying driver of the decrease and determine if this month’s numbers are an aberration,” said NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. “Affordability conditions are improving, with NAR’s Housing Affordability Index showing that housing is the most affordable it’s been since March 2022. This is due to wage gains outpacing home price growth and mortgage rates being lower than a year ago. However, supply has not kept pace and remains quite low.”