US new single-family home sales rose 6.4% in August 2026 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 684,000, the highest level since December 2025 and above economists' 615,000 forecast. July sales were revised up to 643,000 from 607,000. Sales increased sharply in the Midwest and South but fell in the Northeast and West, leaving the national total 2.0% below August 2025. Builders used price cuts and other incentives as mortgage rates climbed nearly 100 basis points since the war in the Middle East began at the end of February. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate reached 6.95% last week, its highest level since January 2025. The median new-home price fell 5.8% from a year earlier to $393,700, while the supply of unsold homes held at 483,000, equivalent to 8.5 months of sales.