Existing single-family home prices increased from a year earlier in 78% of metropolitan markets during the third quarter, the National Association of Realtors reported October 29.
That share declined from 80% in the second quarter. Four percent of markets recorded double-digit annual gains, compared with 5% previously.
The national median sale price reached $432,900, a 1.7% annual increase. The report covers approximately 235 metropolitan areas.
Regional figures showed annual gains of 4% in the Northeast, 3.6% in the Midwest and 1% in the South. The West’s median declined 0.6%.
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi, led the report’s list of large markets with an 11% increase, followed by Rochester, New York, at 10.9%.
The figures describe July-through-September transactions, rather than price changes occurring on the announcement date. NAR notes that median prices can shift with the mix of properties sold, and that regional samples include areas outside its metropolitan tables.
The association cautions that seasonal buying patterns make comparisons with the same quarter a year earlier the appropriate measure for median prices.
Sources: National Association of Realtors — October 29 Quarterly Metro Report: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/29/3391413/0/en/home-prices-increased-in-78-of-metro-areas-in-third-quarter-of-2026.html