September AND October NWA Market Statistics Poor September-statistics…reporting on them was relegated to the back burner, until next think you know, it’s time to report on October statistics. So, this month we’re talking about both the real estate market months.
September saw a gradual slowdown from August as we enter the slower real estate season. That is normal. But the numbers also reveal, September 2026 was a slower market overall than the same time in 2025. That is, the 12-month changes in most of the dollar/sales related statistics were down slightly, while inventory related statistics were all up slightly. Meaning dollars/sales were stronger and inventory was turning faster in September 2025 versus 2026. The difference isn’t drastic enough to warrant red flags, but it is good to pick up on these variations from year to year.
Looking at October sales, we would say we have officially entered the slow months. Sales, both by dollar and by count, saw percentage decreases of 9% or greater from September. But October is interesting because of how many properties are NOT on the market. New listings were down in both 12-month and 1-month changes (meaning less sellers are entering the market) and expired listings are up in both 12-month and 1-month changes (meaning sellers are deciding to leave the market faster). Both are signs sellers are not as confident with the current market as prior. Month of inventory also increase. In general, that metric increases when sellers enter the market at a faster rate or buyers leave the market at a faster rate. Given we just talked about how sellers are not in the market, that tells us there are fewer buyers willing to pay the current market prices. This is possibly correlated with buyers holding off hoping to see a drop in the higher mortgage interest rates.
The biggest take away is there are signs of a slower market on the horizon. Is it short-lived or does it linger around? That is what we will continue to monitor in the next few months.