US Pending Home Sales Surge 8.1%, Most Since June 2020

  • Contract signings rose in all four regions, led by West, South
  • Even with January increase, sales still down 22.4% from 2022

A "sale pending" sign in front of a home in San Rafael, California. 

Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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US pending home sales rose by the most since June 2020, potentially a temporary reprieve as lower mortgage rates in the month helped prop up demand.

The National Association of Realtors’ index of contract signings to purchase previously owned homes increased 8.1% in January from a month earlier to 82.5, according to data released Monday. The jump beat all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists, which called for a 1% advance.