Pending home sales in the US fell to their lowest level in 25 years in September as mortgage rates exceeded 7%.

MarketWatch, Financial Times, Reuters · Geopolitics & Markets

21 Oct 20263 outlets

What it means

(contract signings, not closed sales) in the US fell to their lowest level in 25 years in September 2026, as exceeded 7%. This signals that high borrowing costs are sharply reducing homebuyer demand, with the National Association of Realtors' Pending Home Sales Index dropping to a record low for the series.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim is based on data from the National Association of Realtors' Pending Home Sales Index, reported by multiple news outlets including MarketWatch, Financial Times, and Reuters. As secondary reporting without a direct primary link, it is consistent across sources and likely accurate, but not independently verified here.

How new

This is genuinely new reporting on September 2026 data released in October 2026.

Past coverage

We covered a related housing market indicator on 2026-09-17, when US homebuilder sentiment dropped to a 12-month low and mortgage rates hit 6.97%.