NAR Pending Home Sales Report Shows 4.0% Increase in August

Pending home sales in August increased by 4.0% from the prior month and rose 3.8% year-over-year, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Pending Home Sales Report. The Report provides the real estate ecosystem, including agents and homebuyers and sellers, with data on the level of home sales under contract. Pending sales rose month-over-month in the Midwest, South, and West, and declined in the Northeast. Year-over-year, sales increased in all regions. August’s REALTORS® Confidence Index survey shows that 19% of NAR members expect an increase in buyer traffic over the next three months, up from 16% last month and unchanged from one year ago. Meanwhile, 19% expect an increase in seller traffic, down from 21% last month and up from 18% in August 2024. “Lower mortgage rates are enabling more homebuyers to go under contract,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “In the Midwest, low mortgage rates combined with high levels of affordability are attracting more buyers compared to other regions.” August 2025 National Pending Home Sales 4.0% increase month-over-month 3.8% increase year-over-year August 2025 Regional Pending Home Sales Northeast 1.1% decrease month-over-month 2.6% increase year-over-year Midwest 8.7% increase month-over-month 6.7% increase year-over-year South 3.1% increase month-over-month 4.2% increase year-over-year West 5.0% increase month-over-month 0.2% increase year-over-year The percent of change in pending home sales is based on the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI)* – a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on home-contract signings. An index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001.