Story Courtesy National Association of Realtors® | April 2026
Pending home sales in February increased by 1.8% from the prior month and declined 0.8% year over year, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Pending Home Sales report. The report provides the real estate ecosystem—including agents and homebuyers and sellers—with data on the level of home sales under contract.
Month over month pending home sales rose in the Midwest, South and West, and declined in the Northeast. Year over year pending home sales rose in the South and West, and declined in 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,” said NAR Chief 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 National Pending Home Sales
- 1.8% increase month over month
- 0.8% decrease year over year
February 2026 Regional Pending Home Sales
- Northeast
- 3.6% decrease month over month
- 12.1% decrease year over year
- Midwest
- 4.6% increase month over month
- 0.1% decrease year over year
- South
- 2.7% increase month over month
- 1.2% increase year over year
- West
- 0.9% increase month over month
- 3.2% increase year over year
At the local level, several markets posted notable year-over-year gains in pending home sales. Among the 50 largest metro areas, the following 10 markets posted the biggest annual increases in pending home sales, according to data from Realtor.com® Economics:
10 Markets With The Biggest Annual Increases In Pending Home Sales
- San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad, California (+13.5%)
- Jacksonville, Florida (+12.1%)
- San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, California (+10.6%)
- Denver–Aurora–Centennial, Colorado (+10.5%)
- Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach, Florida (+10.0%)
- Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, Arizona (+9.8%)
- Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom, California (+9.3%)
- Kansas City, Missouri-Kansas (+8.7%)
- Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos, Texas (+8.1%)
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (+8.7%)
National Association of REALTORS® is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.