Table of Contents
HouseCanary
Know what any property is really worth.
AVMs with a 2.7% median error, plus the forecasts and comps top lenders trust.
Explore PlansHouseCanary's August 2026 Market Pulse shows a single-family detached housing market in balance. Total inventory sits 9.0% above year-ago levels, 291,365 properties went under contract, and prices continued to move at a moderate pace. Months of inventory stands at 5.11, and median days on market eased to 51, down from 52 one year ago. Taken together, the August data point to a market where supply keeps rebuilding while demand holds close to steady.
Inventory Growth Accelerates as Supply Crosses Five Months
Total single-family detached inventory rose 9.0% year-over-year in August, continuing the return to average historical levels even as net new listings decline. Measured against August 2024, inventory is up 23.0%.
Months of inventory stands at 5.11 — a neutral reading that is trending toward buyer's-market territory. Median days on market declined to 51 days, down 1.9% from 52 days one year ago, a sign that homes are still clearing at a healthy pace even with more supply available.
Buyer Demand Moderates but Holds Near Year-Ago Levels
Buyer activity moderately slipped in August but remained robust. 291,365 single-family detached properties went under contract, down 3.5% versus August 2025, while net new listings fell 8.7% to 262,677. The decline in net new listings was driven by a 3.0% decrease in new listing volume combined with an 18.0% increase in removals.
Over the trailing 52 weeks, contracts totaled 2,912,067, down 0.2% year-over-year, while net new listings of 2,867,790 were down 3.4%. With contracts running ahead of net new listings, net new inventory was negative across both windows — down 44,277 units over the past 52 weeks and down 28,688 in August alone.
Prices Hold Stable as Closed Values Keep Climbing
Single-family detached prices exhibited stability in August. The median listing price was $453,576, down 0.8% year-over-year, while the median closed price rose 5.2% to $443,702. Month-over-month, the median listing price decreased 1.5%, reflecting typical seasonality, while the median closed price edged up 0.7%.
On a per-square-foot basis, the median listed price-per-sqft is $236.8 (down 1.5% YoY) and the median closed price-per-sqft is $241.7 (up 2.7% YoY). The sale-to-list price ratio stands at 97.9%, and price cuts are up 3.4% versus August 2025, remaining near the multi-year high observed in 2025.
Rental Market: Supply Contracts Sharply as Rents Ease
The single-family detached rental market saw inventory contract 18.3% year-over-year, and it now sits 7.1% below August 2024 levels — an extension of the rental supply tightening tracked through 2026. The median listed rent declined 0.7% year-over-year to $2,483 and was down 1.4% month-over-month.
Fewer single-family rentals reaching the market alongside easing rents suggests landlords are continuing to price competitively even as available supply thins.
Condo Market: Buyer's-Market Conditions Deepen
The condo market — which includes townhomes, rowhomes, and other single-family attached units — continues to run more buyer-friendly than the detached segment. Total condo inventory is up 10.0% year-over-year and up 27.7% versus 2024. Months of inventory stands at 6.55, squarely in buyer's-market territory, while median days on market eased to 64 days, down from 66 one year ago.
58,674 condos went under contract in August, down 8.2% year-over-year, while net new condo listings fell 11.6% to 52,090. That decline was not a function of fewer new listings — new condo listing volume actually rose 3.6% — but of a 15.9% increase in removals.
Condo pricing remains softer than detached. The median condo listing price was $389,683, down 3.4% year-over-year, while the median closed price was $394,405, up 1.8%. The sale-to-list ratio for condos sits at 97.0%, and condo price cuts are down 1.1% compared with August 2025. In the condo rental market, the median listed rent fell 1.9% year-over-year to $2,332, while condo rental inventory declined 2.4%.
Key August 2026 Highlights
All single-family figures below reflect Single-Family Detached (SFD) homes; condo metrics are summarized in the Condo Market section above.
- Net New Listings (SFD): 262,677 in August (down 8.7% YoY)
- Contracts (SFD): 291,365 in August (down 3.5% YoY)
- Inventory (SFD): +9.0% YoY; months of supply at 5.11
- Days on Market (SFD): 51 (down from 52 YoY)
- Prices (SFD): Listing –0.8% YoY ($453,576) | Closed +5.2% YoY ($443,702)
- Rental Market (SFD): Inventory –18.3% YoY | Median rent $2,483 (–0.7% YoY)
- Condo Market: Inventory +10.0% YoY | Months of supply at 6.55 | Listing prices –3.4% YoY
The Bottom Line
The August 2026 Market Pulse shows a U.S. housing market holding its balance as it moves into fall. Continued inventory growth, steady buyer activity, and moderate price trends support a sustainable market environment across both segments — with condos remaining noticeably more buyer-friendly than single-family detached homes.
Explore the full August 2026 Market Pulse Report to access detailed data, trends, and regional breakdowns shaping today's housing market.
