According to statistics from the January 2026 Builder Application Survey (BAS) of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), mortgage applications for the purchase of new homes rose 2% over the previous year. Applications were up 19% from December 2025. There is no adjustment for normal seasonal variations in this modification.
“New home purchase activity strengthened in January, as both mortgage applications and new home sales saw gains,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s VP and Deputy Chief Economist. “This increase was consistent with single-family housing starts finishing 2025 at a stronger pace even as permitting stayed relatively flat. MBA’s January estimated sales pace for newly built homes rebounded slightly from December to a pace of 663,000 units as buyers continue to use builder concessions and ARM loans. The average loan size of a purchase application was $385,506, the highest in 11 months.”
For new single-family homes, the Builder Application Survey offers up-to-date and comprehensive monthly data on loan application activity obtained straight from home builders. An indicator of new home sales activity in the U.S. is given by this data.
Home Sale & Loan Activity Ticks Up From December
According to MBA, the number of new single-family home sales in January 2026 was 663,000 units, a seasonally adjusted yearly rate that has been a leading indication of the U.S. Census Bureau’s New Residential Sales report for years. The BAS’s mortgage application data, along with presumptions about market coverage and other variables, are used to calculate the new home sales estimate.
Compared to the rate of 640,000 units in December, the seasonally adjusted estimate for January represents a 3.6% rise. According to MBA’s unadjusted estimates, there were 58,000 new home sales in January 2026, up 16% from 50,000 in December.
Conventional loans accounted for 48.9% of loan applications, followed by FHA loans (34.9%), RHS/USDA loans (1.3%), and VA loans (14.8%). In January, the average loan size for new homes was $385,506 compared to $380,607 in December.
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Note: MBA’s Builder Application Survey tracks application volume from mortgage subsidiaries of home builders across the country. Utilizing this data, as well as data from other sources, MBA is able to provide an early estimate of new home sales volumes at the national, state, and metro level. This data also provides information regarding the types of loans used by new home buyers. Official new home sales estimates are conducted by the Census Bureau on a monthly basis. In that data, new home sales are recorded at contract signing, which is typically coincident with the mortgage application.
