Housing Market Trends: Sales, Prices, and Inventory, 2025 vs. 2026

The housing market continues to face challenges as mortgage rates remain elevated. From January through September 2026, 3.09 million existing homes were sold, up 0.8% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, September inventory rose to 1.6 million homes from just over 1.5 million in 2025, while home prices increased by 1.3% year over year.