According to the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Monthly New Residential Sales report for August 2026, released September 24, 2026.
What the report says
Sales of new single-family houses in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 684,000. That is 6.4% above July’s revised pace of 643,000, and 2.0% below August 2025’s rate of 698,000.
The median sales price of a new home sold in August was $393,700 — up just 0.4% from July’s $392,200, but 5.8% below August 2025’s $417,900. The average sales price was $478,700, down 8.8% from a year earlier.
At the end of August, an estimated 483,000 new houses were for sale — unchanged from July and equal to about 8.5 months of supply at the current sales pace (down from 9.0 months in July).
Regionally, the West was the softest large market: seasonally adjusted sales fell to 112,000, down 15.2% from July and 26.8% from a year ago. The South led the monthly rebound at 451,000.
Key points to know
- National new-home sales bounced from July, but Census notes the monthly and yearly sales changes are within a wide statistical range — so treat the rebound as directionally helpful, not a locked-in surge.
- The clearer story for shoppers is price and inventory: the median new-home price is nearly 6% below last August, and builders still have about 8.5 months of supply on the market.
- Completed, ready-to-move-in inventory stood at about 113,000 homes (seasonally adjusted) — homes you can often tour and negotiate on without waiting for construction.
- West-region weakness matters for California and Oregon shoppers comparing new builds: fewer contracts are signing in the West even as national totals ticked up.
- New-home sales are counted when a contract is signed or a deposit is taken — so this report reflects recent shopping, not only closings.
Why it matters if you are buying or already own
If you are shopping in California or Oregon, August’s report is less about a national “hot” new-home market and more about leverage where inventory is sitting. An 8.5-month supply is well above the roughly 4–6 months often treated as balanced for existing homes — so many builders are motivated to compete on price, rate buydowns, closing-cost help, or upgrades.
The price mix also shifted toward more affordable new homes. Homes under $300,000 made up about 22% of August sales (up from about 18% a year earlier), and more than half of August sales were under $400,000.
That does not erase today’s mortgage-rate pressure — weekly averages have recently printed around or above 7% — but it does mean shopping new construction can still open doors that resale listings do not, especially if a builder will buy down your rate or cut the sticker price.
If you already own, this report does not change your loan. It is a signal that new-home competition remains elevated in many markets, which can keep some pressure on what nearby sellers (including you, if you list) can ask.
Important limits
- These are national and regional estimates. Local California and Oregon subdivisions can look very different from the West-region average.
- Median and average prices move with the mix of homes sold (size, location, finishes), not only with true “same-home” discounts.
- Builder incentives and rate buydowns vary by community and lender — always compare a written Loan Estimate and the full monthly payment (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA).
- This is market news for homebuyers and homeowners — not advice to buy, wait, or choose a specific loan or builder.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau / HUD New Residential Sales for August 2026 (release CB26-155, September 24, 2026).