Existing-home sales ticked up in September as falling mortgage rates and more listings coaxed shoppers off the sidelines. Sales rose 1.5% from August to a 4.06 million annual pace—the fastest since February—and were up 4.1% from a year earlier, slightly below forecasts. The median price climbed 2.1% to $415,200, a record for any September, while inventory reached 1.55 million, matching a five-year high but still short of pre-pandemic levels. Homes took longer to sell (33 days), cash deals made up 30%, and one economist expects steady activity amid uncertainty, while NAR’s Lawrence Yun called the gain “not a breakout.”

Prepared by Christopher Adams and reviewed by editorial team.