Case-Shiller home prices continue to lag inflation in August

Inflation continued to outpace home price appreciation in August, according to the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Index released on Tuesday. The data for August shows that home prices rose 2.1% year-over-year in August, up from a 1.9% annual jump in July, resulting in an index reading of 336.74. In contrast to this, inflation came in at 3.4% in August, roughly 1.3 percentage points above the 2.1% home price gain. However, HousingWire Data, which is more current than Case-Shiller shows softer home price appreciation for the week ending on October 23, 2026. “When adjusted for inflation, home prices have been mostly flat since 2022, and sales turnover remains at lows last seen during the Great Recession. Part of this stems from seller lock-in — with record equity and low mortgage rates, homeowners have little incentive to move unless they receive an exceptional offer. It also reflects weak underlying demand,” Thomas Malone, principal economist at Cotality, said in a statement. “After more than three years of slow sales, today’s activity may be the new normal rather than a temporary dip. On a monthly basis, home price appreciation was down 0.2% nationwide, following a modest 0.1% month-...