Pulte Highlights September Home-Sales Gain, but Sales Remain Below Last Year
Pulte shared NAR’s earlier report on Oct. 17. September existing-home sales rose 1.5% monthly but fell 2.2% yearly, with inventory at 1.60 million homes.
By Christopher Salem · 5 min read
Bill Pulte shared the National Association of Realtors’ September home-sales increase on X on Oct. 17, drawing attention to a 1.5% monthly gain. The fuller picture in NAR’s Oct. 13 report is more restrained: existing-home sales remained 2.2% below their September 2025 level, and every region recorded a yearly decline.
Pulte’s post links to the earlier NAR release. It is not a new Oct. 17 statistical announcement or an enacted housing policy. The verified text adds no political claim, explanation for the sales movement or promise about mortgage rates.
A modest monthly gain, not a yearly recovery
NAR reported September sales at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million. That number is not the count of homes sold during September. It expresses the estimated yearly total if September’s adjusted pace continued for 12 months; seasonal adjustment accounts for recurring differences in activity across the calendar.
The monthly increase compares September with August. The yearly decline compares September with the same month in 2025. Both can be true: activity improved from the previous month while remaining weaker than a year earlier. A single monthly gain does not establish a sustained recovery.
Inventory rose while the median price increased
Available housing inventory reached 1.60 million homes, an increase of 1.9% from August and 4.6% from September 2025. At September’s sales pace, that stock represented 4.8 months of supply. Months of supply relates available inventory to the pace of sales; it does not mean every listed home will take that long to sell.
The national median existing-home sale price was $417,500, up 1.3% from a year earlier. The median is the midpoint of completed sales, with half selling above it and half below. It is not a valuation of every home or a forecast of what a particular seller will receive.
| Measure | September reading | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Existing-home sales | 3.99 million annual pace | +1.5% monthly; −2.2% yearly |
| Inventory | 1.60 million homes | +1.9% monthly; +4.6% yearly |
| Supply | 4.8 months | At September’s sales pace |
| Median sale price | $417,500 | +1.3% yearly |
The national headline needs local context
Sales increased from August in the South and West, were unchanged in the Midwest and fell in the Northeast. All four regions posted declines from September 2025. The national monthly gain therefore does not describe an improvement everywhere or erase the annual weakness.
For buyers and sellers, the report is a dated national reference rather than a substitute for local comparable sales, current inventory and a lender’s quote. An increase in homes available nationally does not establish the negotiating conditions in a particular neighborhood.
NAR’s existing-home series is based on completed transactions. It differs from the government’s new-home sales series, which measures contracts or accepted deposits. Comparing the two without recognizing that distinction can misread the timing of activity.
Pulte’s sharing of the report does not demonstrate that any policy caused September’s results. Nor do sales, inventory or median-price figures guarantee a change in mortgage rates. The useful takeaway is narrower: September brought a small monthly improvement, but the year-over-year decline remains essential context.
Original post and source reporting
“Existing-Home Sales Increased 1.5% in September”: National Association of Realtors https://t.co/m6f9pwds2k
— Pulte (@pulte) October 17, 2026
Read the original Pulte post on X.
Watch NAR’s source video on YouTube.
Watch: the dated facts in 15 seconds
Transcript (on-screen text; original instrumental music, no narration): Pulte highlights NAR report. September sales: +1.5% month over month. Posted Oct. 17; data released Oct. 13. Sales still lower: −2.2% compared with September 2025. 3.99 million seasonally adjusted annual pace. Inventory: 1.60 million. 4.8 months of supply. Inventory up 4.6% yearly. Median sale price: $417,500. Up 1.3% yearly. No new policy or guaranteed mortgage-rate effect. Source: NAR, September 2026 observations; Oct. 13, 2026 release.
Sources and photograph
NAR’s original release, Oct. 13, 2026; NAR existing-home sales definitions and data.
Cover: Official FHFA portrait of William J. Pulte, credited to Cory Jones/FHFA. Federal-government work, identified as public domain; photograph date not established. Source and rights record. Editorial use; no FHFA endorsement implied.
