Financial News: U.S. Existing Home Sales Surge Much More Than

U.S. Existing Home Sales Surge Much More Than Expected In December

01/14/2026 - 11:22:00 (RTTNews)

(RTTNews) - Existing home sales in the U.S. surged by much more than expected in the month of December, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors on Wednesday.

NAR said existing home sales spiked by 5.1 percent to an annual rate of 4.35 million in December after climbing by 0.7 percent to an upwardly revised rate of 4.14 million in November.

Economists had expected existing home sales to jump by 2.4 percent to an annual rate of 4.23 million in December from the 4.13 million originally reported for the previous month.

"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," he added. "The gains were broad-based, with all four major regions improving from the prior month."

The report also said housing inventory at the end of December totaled 1.18 million units, down 18.1 percent from 1.44 million units in November but up 3.5 percent from 1.14 million units in December 2024.

The unsold inventory represents 3.3 months of supply, down from 4.2 months in November but up from 3.2 months a year ago.

"Inventory levels remain tight," Yun said. "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."

NAR also said the medium existing home price was $405,400 in December, up 0.4 percent from the same month a year ago, marking the 30th straight month of year-over-year price growth.

For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com

Market News provided by RTTNews

RECENT INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL NEWS

U.S. Business Inventories Rise Slightly More Than Expected In October (01 hr(s), 18 min(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - A report released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday showing business inventories ...Full Story»

U.S. Existing Home Sales Surge Much More Than Expected In December (01 hr(s), 35 min(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - Existing home sales in the U.S. surged by much more than expected in the month of Dece ...Full Story»

U.S. Producer Prices Rise 0.2% In November, In Line With Estimates (01 hr(s), 57 min(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - A report released by the Labor Department on Wednesday showed a modest increase by U.S ...Full Story»

U.S. Crude Oil Inventories Unexpectedly Rebound (02 hr(s), 06 min(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - The Energy Information Administration released a report on Wednesday showing an unexpe ...Full Story»

U.S. Retail Sales Climb 0.6% In November, More Than Expected (02 hr(s), 22 min(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - Retail sales in the U.S. increased by more than expected in the month of November, acc ...Full Story»

U.S. Retail Sales Climb More Than Expected In November (04 hr(s), 09 min(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - Retail sales in the U.S. increased by more than expected in the month of November, acc ...Full Story»

U.S. Producer Prices Increase In Line With Estimates In November (04 hr(s), 16 min(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - A report released by the Labor Department on Wednesday showed a modest increase by U.S ...Full Story»

Sweden Household Consumption Rebounds 1.0% (06 hr(s), 36 min(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - Consumer spending in Sweden recovered strongly in November, data from Statistics Swede ...Full Story»