Nationally, home sales were down 2.6% year over year and up 8.4% month over month, RE/MAX said. 

The median existing-home price was also on the upswing last month, providing homeowners a bit of refuge as the stock market undergoes a correction, Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said in the monthly report. 

The pace of new-home construction was higher than economists expected, even as homebuilders expressed concern about the impact of tariffs and supply-side challenges. 

The overall trend points to a longer-term slowdown, however, the MLS said. 

Falling consumer sentiment suggests potential homebuyers are wary of the short-term economic outlook and future inflation, CoreLogic Chief Economist Selma Hepp said. 

At the same time, the median sales price for a new home hit its highest level since 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.   

In Atlanta, home prices posted a 2.35% year-over-year gain in December, while they slid 0.56% month over month.  

At the same time, builder sales expectations for the next six months posted their second-largest drop since the sentiment index started in 1985. 

The trends are in keeping with those seen at the same time a year ago, Georgia MLS noted. 

On a city basis, Chicago posted the highest annual increase among the country’s 20 largest metros, followed by Miami, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. 

The median existing-home price for all housing types in December rose 6% from its year-ago level.    

Nationally, home sales were up 13.3% year over year and 4.4% month over month, RE/MAX said. 

The median sales price rose 1.3% month over month to $400,000.

In its last reading before the end of the year, the National Association of REALTORS®  Pending Home Sales Index posted its fourth consecutive monthly increase in November. 

The median-sales price slid from $425,600 in October to $402,600 last month. 

The year-over-year increase of 6.1% is the greatest since June 2021, according to the association.