Pending-home sales slid in July despite improvements in housing supply, affordability and mortgage rates as buyers remained on the sidelines, the National Association of REALTORS® said. The pace of sales ticked 0.4% lower month over month and 0.7% lower year over year nationwide, NAR said, adding that the West was the only geographic region to see a monthly gain, while the Midwest and South were the only areas with annual increases.
As the pace of new-home sales slowed, inventory rose to 499,000 units at the end of July, up 7.3% compared to a year ago. On a monthly basis, however, inventory was down 0.6%. This supply represents 9.2 months of inventory at the current sales pace. With inventory rising and home sales slowing, the median sales price posted both monthly and yearly declines in July. The figure of $403,800 was down 0.8% month over month and 5.9% year over year.