Weekly DC Market Data

Weekly Washington DC (City) Market Data

Real Estate Data

District of Columbia

Summary

The DC housing market saw a pronounced uptick in buyer engagement last week, with 2,505 property showings; up about 28% from a year ago, though down 17% compared to the prior week’s post-holiday surge.

Buyers signed 210 new sales contracts, a 24% jump year-over-year and a substantial 31% increase from the previous week, pointing to renewed confidence as mortgage rates eased.

Homes are still moving at a moderate pace, though last week’s days on market improved with a median of 33 days to contract, seven days faster than the prior week and six days quicker than this time last year.

New listings totaled 303, up 22% annually but down 24% from the previous week, reflecting typical spring listing patterns as sellers continue to test the market.

The median list price rose to $700,000, a 13% gain over last year and up 4% week-over-week.

There were 2,618 active listings on the market, little changed from recent weeks and down slightly from last year, suggesting that while new inventory is arriving, properties are still being absorbed at a healthy pace.

Sellers are slightly more likely to reduce prices, with 7.6% of active listings seeing a price drop (up from 6.1% a year ago and 7.0% last week). Cancellations doubled year-over-year to 38, but ticked down by one listing from the previous week, possibly reflecting lingering mismatches between seller expectations and buyer willingness to pay at higher price levels.

Overall, the DC market is moving faster than it was in spring 2025, with more buyers entering the market, more contracts being written, and sellers achieving higher prices. Inventory remains stable, and while there’s a bit more price flexibility, the primary story is one of cautious, but rising demand in the District.

Weekly Metro Market Data

Weekly Metro Market Data

Real Estate Data

Washington DC Metro Area

The DC Metro Area market consists of District of Columbia, Arlidonngton Va, Alexandria Va, Alexandria City Va, Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Montgomery County Md, Loudoun County Md, and Frederick County Md.

Summary

The DC Metro Area real estate market saw a busier week last week, with 20,728 showings recorded; down 12% from the previous week but still up more than 34% compared to this time last year.

Buyers wrote 1,572 new sales contracts, a notable jump of almost 30% week-over-week and 26% higher than the same week in 2025, signaling pent-up demand and solid buyer engagement. This activity can also be attributed to the spring DCMA season, and mortgage rates that edged down slightly, then held steady. Local lenders were quoting rates between 6.02% – 6.43% for 30-year loans depending on the source and borrower profile.

Homes moved a little more quickly, with a median of 24 days to contract, one day faster than the previous week, but two days slower than a year ago.

Sellers brought 1,916 new listings to market, slightly less than the week prior but nearly 25% more than last year, suggesting that more homeowners are testing the market as prices remain fairly stable. The median list price edged down 1.1% from the previous week to $667,444, though it’s still just over 1% above last year’s level. Active inventory climbed to 9,336 homes (up 3.3% from last week and 13% year-over-year), offering buyers more choices than they had in early 2025.

Price drops were slightly more common, with 8.7% of active listings seeing a reduction. This rate was essentially flat from the previous week but up 1.3 percentage points from last year.

Cancellations were down 1.7% week-over-week but remain up more than 30% compared to this time last year, reflecting continued volatility in seller expectations and market dynamics.

Overall, the DC Metro market remains solid, with strong buyer interest, more fresh inventory, and prices softening only slightly. Compared to spring 2025, activity is noticeably more energetic, though buyers are taking a little longer to commit, and some sellers are adjusting expectations as inventory builds.

DC vs NVA

When buyers weigh choosing the district over close-in Northern Virginia options, several key factors come into play. DC buyers often prioritize walkability, cultural amenities, and the unique urban lifestyle the city offers, amenities that Northern Virginia suburbs can’t fully replicate. Many want the convenience of being close to downtown workplaces, vibrant dining, nightlife, and public transit access. DC’s distinctive historic rowhomes are popular, along with its storied neighborhoods and individualized neighborhood characteristics in contrast to Northern Virginia’s more uniform, suburban, and contemporary style.

Northern Virginia offers more inventory choices, newer construction, often larger homes, and generally better job prospects, especially in tech, government contracting, and corporate sectors. The job market in Northern Virginia is stronger and more diverse, despite some economic shocks; it offers higher salaries and more corporate employers compared to DC, which is grappling with higher unemployment and job losses in key sectors.

Schools in NVA are rated higher than those in DC. Many Northern Virginia counties, such as Fairfax, Loudoun, and Arlington, are known for their well-funded, highly ranked public school systems. These districts often rank among the top in the state and even nationally, boasting strong academic performance, extensive extracurricular programs, and high graduation rates. In contrast, while DC has some excellent public and charter schools, and offers excellant (though high-priced) private schools, the overall public school system faces more challenges related to funding, resources, and performance disparities across neighborhoods. For those prioritizing education quality, NVA school districts tend to be a major draw.

Among Northern Virginia cities and neighborhoods, Arlington stands out as the top performer. Arlington combines close proximity to DC, strong demand, and home equity appreciation.

DC City Monthly Data

Monthly Washington DC (City) Market Data

Monthly Real Estate Data

District of Columbia

In March 2026, with a drop in mortgage interest rates, the District of Columbia real estate market saw the start of a recovery, characterized by a significant increase in contracts and pending sales activity.

Deatched Homes

In Washington DC, the median sold price for Detached properties for March was $1,045,000, an increase of 24.4% compared to February, and a decrease of 5% from March of 2025. The average days from listing to contract for detached homes sold in March was 58 days, which 35% above the 5-year March average of 43 days. There was a 125.9% month over month increase in new contract activity with 122 New Pending Sales; a 39.6% MoM increase in All Pending Sales (new contracts + contracts carried over from February) to 155; and a 12.7% increase in inventory to 328 active residences. This activity resulted in a Contract Ratio of 0.47 pendings per active listing, up from 0.38 in February and an increase from 0.37 in March 2025. The Contract Ratio is 20% lower than the 5-year March average of 0.59.

Attached Homes

The March median sold price for Attached single family homes was $861,200, up 12.2% compared to last month and down 2.5% from March of 2025. The average days from listing to contract in March was 45 days, 27% above the 5-year March average of 35 days. There was a 49.7% month over month increase in new contract activity with 286 New Pendings; an 18.7% MoM increase in All Pendings to 349; and an 8.8% increase in supply to 690 active residences. This activity resulted in a Contract Ratio of 0.51 pendings per active listing, up from 0.46 in February and an increase from 0.35 in March 2025. The Contract Ratio is 20% lower than the 5-year March average of 0.64.

Condos & Co-Ops

The March median sold price for Condo & Coop properties for March was $517,500, up 9.3% compared to February, but down 2.3% from March of 2025. The
average days from listing to contract was 66 days, 28% above the 5-year March average of 51 days. There was a 21.1% month over month increase in new contract activity with 281 New Pendings; a 15.8% MoM increase in All Pendings and a 16% increase in
supply to 1,441 active units. This activity resulted in a Contract Ratio of 0.22 pendings per active listing, showing no change from February and no change from March 2025.

The Contract Ratio is 42% lower than the 5-year March average of 0.38. With this in mind, consider two factors that may further deflate the D.C. condo market:

The DC condo market is threatened by two major shifts

1. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Changed Their Underwriting Guidelines

• July 1, 2026: HOA deductibles max out at $50K per unit, and most condo buyers will now be required to carry an HO-6 policy and make up a larger difference when losses occur
• August 3, 2026: Limited review is eliminated for all but certain small projects
• August 3, 2026: Reserve studies must reflect the highest funding recommendation. The baseline method is eliminated
• January 4, 2027: Minimum reserve funding jumps from 10% to 15% of the HOA’s annual budget

Underfunded HOAs, condos and co-ops with deferred maintenance and those without clean financials will become nonwarrantable.

Projects with these issues will be flagged the buyer’s financing rejected. Unfortunately, this often occurs just before closing. Read about the new Fannie and Freddie underwriting guidelines here.

2. The D.C. Council is marking up a bill that will be harmful to condo owners. 

The bill,  DC B 26-0495, the Condominium Insurance Amendment Act of 2025, is being framed as a fairness measure. It’s not.

The logic: If damage starts in one unit, that owner should bear the cost.

The bill proposes:

• Increasing the deductible pass-through cap from $5,000 to $25,000
• Requiring owners to carry expanded insurance coverage
• Mandating a waiver of subrogation across all policies

But in reality, there’s a problem with “origin of loss” because condominium damage rarely has a single starting point. Water leaks may involve:

• Shared plumbing stacks
• Behind-the-wall infrastructure
• Deferred maintenance
• Multiple contributing failures

“Origin” is often disputed and sometimes unknowable. Yet under this bill, that determination becomes the basis for assigning up to $25,000 in liability to the owner the property management company or association says is the cause. Convenient if that association wants the costs off their books.

The bill assumes HO-6 policies will cover this exposure.

But that’s not always true, either. Many policies:

• Cap loss assessment coverage
• Exclude certain types of claims
• Limit coverage when fault is unclear

This means owners could be on the hook for costs up to $25,000. and no insurance to cover it.

The bill also removes the option to file a lawsuit over the matter by including forced waivers of subrogation for all policies.  This is a nightmare for condo owners.

Your insurer cannot pursue the association for their share of costs
The association’s insurer cannot pursue another owner for their share of costs
Even if fault is clear, one unit owner could become the scapegoat for large losses.

Read more about the bill here.

Atop the new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac underwriting guidelines that also increase costs for condo owners. the condo market may see a sharp downturn in 2027 as buyers find fewer financeable options and the idea of purchasing a condominium or co-op less and less attractive.

DC Metro Monthly Data

Monthly Washington DC Metro Market Data

Sold Real Estate Data

District of Columbia Metro Area

March 2026

Buyers were more active in the regional housing market in March. The number of new pending sales was up 5.3% compared to a year ago. Showings also rose, by 2.8% year-over-year. While the number of new listings in March was down 5.9% compared to a year ago, new listing activity surged by 56.1% month-over-month. The median home price in the region was $635,000 in March, a gain of just 1.6% year-over-year. But price trends were a mixed bag across the region, with prices higher in the District of Columbia and Suburban Maryland, and declining in some Northern Virginia locales. The median days on market was 11, just three days slower than a year ago.

Notice

Information on this page is provided by reliable sources, but not guaranteed for accuracy, uniformity of data methodology and interpretation, or completeness. Off-market listings are not believed to be included in these datasets. Private listings represent a growing share of the DCMA real estate market.

Monthly National Market Summary