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Home sales pick up as inventory growth stays measured
June brought a noticeable lift in U.S. home sales—up 8.9% from May and 7.8% over last year. The median price climbed to $460,000, a 2.4% bump in just a month, while inventory grew by a measured 5%. On average, buyers paid 99% of the asking price and homes spent about 43 days on the market.
What do these numbers mean for you? In my years helping families and individuals across Shelby County, I’ve learned that even small shifts in sales and inventory can shape your experience—whether you’re hunting for your first place, upsizing for more room, or finding a home that fits a new phase of life. As always, I’m here to offer patient, clear guidance so you feel confident about your next move, no matter what the stats say.
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What did pending home sales look like in July 2026?
Pending home sales in the U.S. decreased 2.3% month-over-month and 2.2% year-over-year in July, with all four regions showing declines except the Midwest, which rose 1.7% year-over-year. Pending contracts remain 30% below pre-pandemic levels despite employment gains. Mortgage rates averaged 6.67%, slightly down from the previous week but higher than last year. More homes are available, offering buyers greater choice.
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US Existing Home Sales Edge Up
In Early-Q3, US existing-home sales slipped ↓1.7% MoM but still finished ↑0.7% yearly, showing completed transactions held slightly above prior summer's pace.
Median existing-home prices reached $434.1K in Early-Q3, extending a 37-mo streak of yearly gains and giving many homeowners additional equity to monitor.
Inventory ended Early-Q3 at 1.54M homes, ↓1.9% MoM and ↓0.6% yearly, a reminder for buyers to track listings closely in a still-tight market.
Housing affordability improved nationally even as prices rose, suggesting buyers who stay prepared can benefit when value, timing, and available choices start aligning.
Mortgage costs averaged high-6% recently on a 30-yr fixed loan; any rate easing could further support buyers as the summer market continues. -
AI Housing Predictions: Help or Hidden Influence?
AI models analyze vast datasets, from rates to neighborhood signals and online sentiment, uncovering patterns humans miss and sharpening housing and mortgage decisions.
For buyers and sellers, AI tools can flag future hot spots, suggest pricing, timing, and renovations, and add data-driven confidence to major decisions.
Trust remains central because many models work like black boxes, making strong predictions without clear explanations and raising questions about hidden bias in training data.
Widespread adoption could blur prediction and influence, as shared signals steer investor, lender, and buyer behavior, potentially reinforcing trends and amplifying market swings.
Across developed and emerging markets, adoption differs with data quality and oversight, making collaboration, education, and human oversight central to next steps. -
Cheaper Mortgages Won’t Fix US Housing
Federal housing policy long favored cheaper financing, but the new law signaled a shift toward easing construction, streamlining reviews, and supporting more homebuilding.
The core issue was supply: when too few homes exist where demand is strongest, limiting certain buyers can change ownership, but not create homes.
The law's most consequential steps encouraged manufactured housing, rewarded communities that build more homes, and reduced barriers that can make new construction slow or costly.
The analysis found cheaper mortgage credit tends to increase borrowing and lift house prices more than homeownership, especially where zoning and permitting constrain building.
Congress began bridging competing priorities, but the central takeaway remained clear: expanding housing supply, not subsidizing every bidder, offers the stronger affordability path.