US new home sales fall 17.6pc in January

19th Mar 2026 14:02

(Sharecast News) - Sales of new single‑family homes fell sharply in January, dropping to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 587,000, according to the Census Bureau, down 17.6% from December's revised 712,000 pace and 11.3% lower year-on-year.

The number of new houses for sale edged up 0.4% month-on-month to 476,000, though still remained 4% below January 2025. At the current sales rate, this equated to 9.7 months of supply, up from eight months in December and slightly above the nine‑month supply recorded at the same time a year earlier.

Median sales prices slipped to $400,500, down 4.5% from December and 6.8% lower year‑on‑year, while the average sales price also declined, falling 5.9% on the month to $499,500, and 3.6% compared to January 2025.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com