Updated
Updated · National Mortgage Professional · Aug 3
U.S. Home Sellers Cut Prices on 20% of Listings as Pending Sales Rise 1.3%
Updated
Updated · National Mortgage Professional · Aug 3

U.S. Home Sellers Cut Prices on 20% of Listings as Pending Sales Rise 1.3%

3 articles · Updated · National Mortgage Professional · Aug 3

Summary

  • One in five active U.S. listings carried a price cut in July, while pending sales rose 1.3% from a year earlier for an eighth straight monthly gain, according to Realtor.com.
  • The national median list price fell 2.4% to $428,950—its ninth annual decline—as higher mortgage rates kept affordability strained and summer demand cooled.
  • Homes spent a median 57 days on market, four days longer than June but one day faster than July 2025, the first annual improvement after 26 months of slower sales.
  • Inventory rose 2.1% year over year to about 1.13 million listings, still 11.6% below 2017-2019 norms, while new listings were flat from a year earlier and down 8.6% from June.
  • Realtor.com said August will test whether price cuts keep buyers engaged or instead signal softer demand, especially if mortgage rates stay above its roughly 6.3% forecast.

Insights

As home prices drop for the ninth straight month, are buyers actually saving money or just trading discounts for punishing mortgage rates?
One in five sellers are slashing prices, but why are buyers in the Northeast still facing tight markets while the Sun Belt freezes?
With aging boomers and slowing population growth, is the long-feared end of the American housing shortage finally here?