U.S. existing-home sales rose 1.5 percent from August and fell 2.2 percent from a year earlier in September, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Sales increased in the South and the West, held steady in the Midwest, and declined in the Northeast. Compared with a year earlier, sales declined in all four regions. August and September were the two slowest months for home sales this year, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said.
•Single Family Closed Sales were down 8.8 percent to 4,761.
•Townhouse-Condo Closed Sales were down 14.0 percent to 1,483.
•Adult Communities Closed Sales were down 12.4 percent to 602.
•Single Family Median Sales Price increased 4.3 percent to $610,000.
•Townhouse-Condo Median Sales Price increased 5.9 percent to $454,900.
•Adult Communities Median Sales Price remained flat at $375,000.
Heading into October, 1.60 million homes were listed for sale, up 1.9 percent from the previous month and 4.6 percent from a year earlier, according to NAR. Unsold inventory was a 4.8-month supply, unchanged from August and up from a 4.5 month supply a year earlier. The median existing-home sales price was $417,500, up 1.3 percent from $412,300 a year earlier. That marked the 39th consecutive month of year-over-year price gains.