Home‑sales slow start
March home sales fell 3.6%, marking a weak start to the spring buying season and evidence demand is cooling (fortune.com). Reporting adds U.S. resales hit their slowest pace in nine months and homes are taking longer to sell across markets, signaling softer selling conditions for anyone listing now ( ).
U.S. existing-home sales fell in March, extending a slow start to the 2026 spring market as buyers pulled back. (nar.realtor) Sales dropped 3.6% from February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million, the National Association of Realtors said on April 13. That was the slowest resale pace in nine months, and sales fell in all four regions. (nar.realtor) Compared with March 2025, sales were down 2.6%. The median existing-home price still rose 2.7% from a year earlier to $403,700, while total inventory climbed 8.1% from February to 1.33 million homes. (nar.realtor) That mix points to a market with more listings but fewer completed deals. Unsold inventory stood at a 4.0-month supply in March, up from 3.5 months in February and 3.2 months a year earlier. (nar.realtor) Homes are also sitting longer. Realtor.com said March was the 24th straight month in which the typical home spent more time on the market than a year earlier. (realtor.com) Newsweek, citing ResiClub data on first-quarter closings, reported that selling times increased from a year earlier in every major market it examined. San Antonio averaged 100.6 days, while several Sun Belt metros ranked among the slowest. (newsweek.com) Mortgage costs remain a drag even after easing from last year’s levels. Freddie Mac said the average 30-year fixed mortgage was 6.37% on April 9, down from 6.62% a year earlier but still high enough to strain affordability for many buyers. (freddiemac.com) Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, said “lower consumer confidence and softer job growth” were holding buyers back. Realtor.com said financing the median-priced home at current rates was the lowest for any March since 2022, but it also pointed to broader economic uncertainty. (nar.realtor, realtor.com) The next test comes later this month. The National Association of Realtors said it will release March pending home sales on April 21, a reading that tracks contracts signed before closings and offers an earlier look at demand. (nar.realtor)
