The DMV market in September 2026
The story of this autumn's market is choice: DC-area homes for sale hit a seven-year high this summer while buyer activity cooled, prices eased slightly, and homes took noticeably longer to sell than a year ago. That's leverage moving toward prepared buyers — and a market where sellers win on pricing and preparation, not momentum. The verified July numbers, county by county, are below.
The numbers, county by county
These are July 2026 closings — the latest complete month reported by the region's market-data sources at publication.
- Montgomery County, MD — median sold price $656,000, down 0.6% from a year earlier; median 30 days on market, up from 22 in July 2025 (July 2026, GCAAR data — reported here).
- Northern Virginia — median sold price $750,000, down 1.3% year over year; average 21 days on market; active listings up 19.6%, with about 2.1 months of supply (July 2026, NVAR market statistics).
- Washington, DC — the District was the region's slowest mover in July: a median of roughly 30 days to sell and about 5 months of supply — the most buyer-friendly balance in the metro (July 2026, Bright MLS data — reported here).
One honest caveat: citywide and countywide medians hide enormous variation by neighborhood, price tier and property type. A Logan Circle condo and a Potomac estate are different markets wearing the same headline.
The big story: inventory is back
Across the DC metro, 11,431 homes were on the market in July — an 11.2% jump from a year earlier and the most since 2019, even as showing activity slipped about 4.7% (Bright MLS, July 2026). After years defined by scarcity, buyers finally have real selection — and sellers have real competition. That's the single fact shaping everything else this fall.
What it means if you're buying
This is the most breathing room DMV buyers have had in years: more homes to choose from, more time to decide, and more room to negotiate — especially in the District. The fundamentals still apply: get financing lined up first, know your real number with the mortgage & affordability calculator, and budget closing costs with the closing-cost calculator. The best homes on the best blocks still move — but you no longer have to waive your way into everything else.
What it means if you're selling
With more competition on the market, the sellers who win this fall are the ones who treat pricing and preparation as the whole game: price to real July-August comparables rather than a spring memory, and get the home genuinely ready before it lists — the pre-listing prep checklist is the place to start. Well-priced, well-presented homes are still selling in weeks; aspirationally priced ones are the inventory statistic.
Where these numbers come from
Figures above are July 2026 data from GCAAR (Montgomery County), NVAR (Northern Virginia) and Bright MLS (the District and the metro), linked inline — August's reports land mid-September. Market data always trails the market itself, and no countywide number prices your home: for the grounded, current read on your specific block, building or price point, ask Kelly.
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