- Prior month 0.745 million revised to 0.712M
- New Home sales for the month of January 0.587M vs 0.720M estimate.
Further details from the report shows:
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Inventory (Jan 2026): 476K homes (+0.4% m/m, -4.0% y/y)
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Months’ supply: 9.7 months (up from 8.0 prior, +21.3% m/m, +7.8% y/y)
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Median price: $400.5K (-4.5% m/m, -6.8% y/y)
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Average price: $499.5K (-5.9% m/m, -3.6% y/y)
This is not good and the numbers came when mortgage rates were lower. The 10 year yield which tracks mortgage rates are currently up 1.2 basis points at 4.267%. The 10 year yield all is trading near the lows for the day as the market reacts to weak data, and expectations for slower growth as a result of higher oil prices.
U.S. new-home sales are a monthly economic report that measures the number of newly constructed single-family homes sold during the month, based on when a buyer signs a contract or makes a deposit—not when the sale closes. Released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the data is reported as a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), which estimates how many homes would be sold over a full year at the current pace. The report also includes details on median and average sales prices, inventory levels, and months of supply, giving insight into both demand and supply in the housing market. Because it reflects current buyer activity and is highly sensitive to mortgage rates, new-home sales are viewed as a forward-looking indicator of consumer confidence and economic health.
Traditionally, new-home sales are much less than the existing home sales. U.S. existing home sales are running at about 4.09 million units (seasonally adjusted annual rate) as of February 2026. In the past new-home sales were around 10% of the overall market, but more recently it has become a bigger percentage (closer to 20%) given the shortage of housing, and the fact that homeowners of existing homes are remaining in their house given low mortgage rates.
However, this months number of 0.587K with existing at 4.09M, the New Home sales is back to 12.7% of total sales