Census Data Shows a Rise of New-Home Sales as Builders Offer Deals
Sales of newly built homes surged in August as climbing mortgage rates drove budget-conscious buyers toward home builders’ rate buydowns.
Contract signings for new-construction properties reached a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 684,000 last month, up 6.4% compared to July, the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported Thursday. However, the August sales figure was down 2% from a year ago,
At the same time, the prices of new builds ticked up, with August’s median sales price registering at $393,700, up 0.4% from July’s $392,200.
Annually, the median new-home price shed 5.8% from August 2025’s $417,900.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Realtors (NAR)® reported earlier this month that existing home sales retreated in August, down 2% month over month and 1.2% year over year to an seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million.
However, pending home sales rose slightly in August on a monthly basis but fell compared to year-ago levels, reported NAR.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Snejana Farberov is a reporter at Realtor.com covering the U.S. housing market and the latest domestic real estate trends. She has worked as a general assignment journalist in New York City and Long Island for 16 years, writing for New York Post, Daily Mail, and News 12. Snejana earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Italian from St. John’s University, followed by a master’s degree from Columbia University School of Journalism.
