Existing Home Sales Inch Higher in November

Existing home sales rose for the third consecutive month in November as lower mortgage rates continued to boost home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors. But the increase remained modest as mortgage rates still stayed above 6% while down from recent highs.

Total existing home sales, including single-family homes, townhomes, and condos, rose 0.5% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.13 million, the highest level since February. November sales were still 1% lower than a year ago.

First-time home buyers accounted for 30% of home sales in November, down from 32% in October but unchanged from a year ago. The share of all-cash sales last month was 27% of transactions, down from 29% in October but up from 25% a year ago. All-cash buyers are less affected by changes in interest rates.

The median sales price of existing homes sold in November was $409,200, up 1.2% from last year. This marks the 29th consecutive month of year-over-year increases. The median condominium/co-op price in November was up 0.1% from a year ago at $358,600.

Existing home sales in November were mixed across the four major U.S. regions. Sales rose in the Northeast (+4.1%) and South (+1.1%), fell in the Midwest (-2.0%), and remained unchanged in the West. On a year-over-year basis, home sales were unchanged in the Northeast and up in the South (2.8%), while down in the Midwest (-3.0%) and West (-1.3%).

Existing home inventory level was 1.43 million units in November, down 5.9% from October but up 7.5% from a year ago. At the current sales rate, November unsold inventory sits at a 4.2-months’ supply, down from 4.4-months in October but up from 3.8-months in November 2024. Inventory between 4.5 to 6 months’ supply is generally considered a balanced market. The current relatively tight supply continued to push home prices higher and challenge housing affordability, even as wage growth outpaced home price gains.

More detail is provided by NAHB economists in this Eye on Housing post.