10/05/2026
📊 Higher rates. Lower activity. But buyers haven’t disappeared.
The Metro DC housing market is clearly slowing. From September 27–October 3, new contract activity across the region fell 24.7% compared with the same week last year, with every jurisdiction posting a double-digit decline.
Mortgage rates above 7% are putting additional pressure on affordability—and fewer buyers are in the market.
But here’s what’s interesting: homes aren’t taking dramatically longer to sell.
While contract activity dropped nearly 25%, the region’s weighted average days on market increased just 5.7%, from 43.9 to 46.3 days. In Loudoun and Prince William, homes actually sold faster than during the same week last year.
What does that tell us?
The buyer pool may be smaller, but the buyers who remain appear serious, selective, and ready to act when the right property comes along.
• For sellers: Pricing, condition and presentation matter more than ever. There are fewer buyers, so your home needs to give them a compelling reason to choose it.
• For buyers: Higher rates are challenging affordability, but they’re also reducing competition. If the right home comes along and the numbers work, there may be opportunity in today’s market.
The buyers who are still shopping seem to know what they want. And when they find it, they’re still willing to act.
