Will New Home Sales in June fall short of expected 600,000 units when reported on Friday?
73% of users predicted YES — the community missed this one. 37 predictions cast.
The Commerce Department's Census Bureau reported June new home sales at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 628,000 units on Friday, July 24, 2026, up 1.6% from an upwardly revised May figure and above the roughly 600,000-610,000 units economists had forecast. The reading snapped a two-month slump in new single-family home sales.
Despite the monthly gain, sales remained 5.6% below year-ago levels, and the median new-home price fell 2.7% year-over-year to $398,300 as builders leaned on smaller, cheaper units to move inventory; homes priced under $300,000 made up 23% of sales, five percentage points higher than a year earlier. Elevated mortgage rates continued to weigh on affordability and kept many potential buyers on the sidelines even as the headline number beat forecasts.
The community got this one wrong: 73% of predictors expected June sales to fall short of the roughly 600,000-unit bar, but builders and buyers defied that expectation, closing more deals than forecast. The result added to a mixed picture for U.S. housing this summer, with headline sales volume improving even as affordability and inventory pressures persisted underneath.