Washington, D.C., March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pending domestic gross sales in February greater by means of 1.8% from the prior month and declined 0.8% year-over-year, in keeping with the Nationwide Affiliation of REALTORS® Pending House Gross sales record. The record supplies the true property ecosystem—together with brokers and homebuyers and dealers—with knowledge at the degree of domestic gross sales beneath contract.
Month-over-month pending domestic gross sales rose within the Midwest, South and West, and declined within the Northeast. 12 months-over-year pending domestic gross sales rose within the South and West, and declined within the Northeast and Midwest.
“The slight gain in pending contracts appears to be driven by improved affordability conditions. However, those conditions could reverse if higher oil prices lead to an uptick in mortgage rates,” mentioned NAR Leader Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. “The Midwest—the most affordable region of the country—was the strongest performer in February. But the Northeast was held back by a combination of higher home prices and a shortage of supply.”
“For first-time homebuyers, purchasing a home is not a snap decision,” Yun added. “It takes time to build credit, save for a down payment, and fulfill existing rental lease agreements. Still, there is sizable pent-up demand that could be released into the market. Although job gains have been sluggish in recent months, there are still 6 million more jobs in the country than in the pre-COVID period.”
February 2026 Nationwide Pending House Gross sales
1.8% building up month-over-month0.8% lower year-over-year
February 2026 Regional Pending House Gross sales
Northeast
3.6% lower month-over-month12.1% lower year-over-year
Midwest
4.6% building up month-over-month0.1% lower year-over-year
South
2.7% building up month-over-month1.2% building up year-over-year
West
0.9% building up month-over-month3.2% building up year-over-year
On the native degree, a number of markets posted notable year-over-year features in pending domestic gross sales. Some of the 50 greatest metro spaces, the next 10 markets posted the most important annual will increase in pending domestic gross sales, in keeping with knowledge from Realtor.com® Economics:
San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad, CA (+13.5%)Jacksonville, FL (+12.1%)San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA (+10.6%)Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO (+10.5%)Miami–Castle Lauderdale–West Palm Seaside, FL (+10.0%)Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, AZ (+9.8%)Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom, CA (+9.3%)Kansas Town, MO-KS (+8.7%)Austin–Spherical Rock–San Marcos, TX (+8.1%)Oklahoma Town, OK (+7.4%)
In regards to the Nationwide Affiliation of REALTORS®The Nationwide Affiliation of REALTORS® is enthusiastic about all sides of residential and business actual property. The time period REALTOR® is a registered collective club mark that identifies an actual property skilled who’s a member of the Nationwide Affiliation of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. Totally free shopper guides about navigating the homebuying and promoting transaction processes—from written purchaser agreements to negotiating repayment—discuss with information.realtor.
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*The Pending House Gross sales Index is a number one indicator for the housing sector, in accordance with pending gross sales of present properties. A sale is indexed as pending when the contract has been signed however the transaction has no longer closed, even though the sale normally is finalized inside of one or two months of signing.
Pending contracts are excellent early signs of upcoming gross sales closings. Then again, the period of time between pending contracts and finished gross sales isn’t an identical for all domestic gross sales. Diversifications within the duration of the method from pending contract to closed sale can also be brought about by means of problems equivalent to purchaser difficulties with acquiring loan financing, domestic inspection issues, or appraisal problems.
The index is in accordance with a pattern that covers about 40% of more than one checklist carrier knowledge every month. In creating the type for the index, it used to be demonstrated that the extent of per month sales-contract job parallels the extent of closed existing-home gross sales within the following two months.
An index of 100 is the same as the typical degree of contract job all the way through 2001, which used to be the primary yr to be tested. Through twist of fate, the quantity of existing-home gross sales in 2001 fell inside the vary of five.0 to five.5 million, which is thought of as standard for the present U.S. inhabitants.
