Shirley Mattam-Male, Realtor

Shirley Mattam-Male, Realtor 2024 Washingtonian “Top REALTOR”, REALTOR of HGTV’s “Designed to Sell” Serving the Northern Virginia and Maryland Areas. Licensed in Virginia and Maryland Ms.

If you examine every successful professional, you will usually discover at their core a strong, focused individual who does what is required to help her clients to achieve their goals. Shirley Mattam-Male is no exception. She is a team builder and has a relational ability – people matter as much or more than the project itself. She is a natural problem solver and enthusiastic about learning. Her competence and confidence stems from arriving in the United States as a young mother married to an American - challenged to assimilate herself into an environment quite different from her native land. Her ability to thrive and revive around new experiences, is one of many traits that makes her style so appealing. She has set high standards for herself – this desire for quality is evident in all aspects of her life. Her role as a mum, a wife, and a Realtor is to always deliver the best of her at all times. Inspired by her love of real estate, Ms. Mattam-Male began her career in 2002. Not long after that, in 2006, HGTV asked her to audition for the role of the real estate expert for the Washington DC series of the popular show, “Designed To Sell”. Mattam-Male was picked to be one of the two Real Estate Experts on the show. Forty-nine shows and seven seasons later, more shows are knocking on her door to help them out. Mattam-Male is an extensive world traveler and has lived in Bahrain and India. This, coupled with her ability to speak several languages, enables her to break through cultural barriers and make all parties at every transaction very comfortable. Specializing in residential real estate, Ms. Mattam-Males’s strong work ethic, coupled with her enthusiastic attitude, has gained her a reputation as an agent that gets the job done. For those of you planning to buy or sell a home or considering a move to the Northern Virginia and Maryland community, Ms. Mattam-Males' character, Industry IQ, and credibility will help prospective buyers and or sellers make the most informed real estate decisions of their lives.

09/14/2026

𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲

Contract activity across the Metro DC region fell 22.6% compared with the same week last year.

That number is ugly, but it comes with a very large asterisk. This year’s reporting period included nearly the entire Labor Day weekend. Last year’s did not.

The holiday exaggerated the decline, but it cannot explain everything. Buyer activity has been slowing since early August.

The market has lost momentum. It has not fallen apart.

For sellers, pricing and presentation matter more than ever. For buyers, fewer contracts may mean less competition and more room to negotiate.

Next week, the calendar loses its alibi. We will finally get a cleaner look at the fall market.

09/07/2026

𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱.

After a few bruising weeks, the Metro DC housing market finally gave us something a little more encouraging.

Contract activity was down just 𝟬.𝟵% from the same week last year. That’s a significant improvement from the 12% and 18% declines we saw the previous two weeks.

But this is the number I can’t get over:

Through September 5…

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱: 𝟯𝟴,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀
𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: 𝟯𝟳,𝟵𝟵𝟲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀

After nearly 38,000 contracts, we are behind last year by exactly 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥.

Four contracts.

For all the talk about rates, inventory, buyer hesitation, spring momentum and the August slowdown, 2026 has produced virtually the exact same amount of contract activity as 2025.

Homes are taking longer to sell in some parts of the region, so this is not a market where sellers can be careless about price or presentation.

But it’s also not a market that’s falling apart.

Underneath all the weekly noise, it has been remarkably steady.

And after August, I’ll take steady.

09/01/2026

𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲.

Contract activity fell 𝟭𝟴.𝟰% across the Metro DC region last week, with every jurisdiction posting a decline.

But here’s the part I find more interesting: 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱.

So while fewer buyers are writing contracts, the buyers who are active are still buying.

That distinction matters.

And the year-to-date numbers? After more than 37,000 contracts, 2026 is now ahead of last year by exactly 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿.

Yes. Four.

August was rough. Now let’s see what September has to say.

08/31/2026

My Jaunt in Paris 🇫🇷 | The Welcome

You know you’ve arrived in Paris when the elevator appears to have been designed for one person, provided that person has no luggage and remembers to breathe in. 😂

Then came the heat dome.

My daughter’s building, like so many in Paris, has no central air-conditioning. So portable AC units had been brought in.

Let’s just say France and America have slightly different interpretations of air-conditioning.

Tiny elevator. Tiny AC.

And one very warm welcome to Paris. 🇫🇷

And thus, my jaunt began.

08/30/2026

Stop by and tour this house if you haven’t already.

08/27/2026

Now active in Potomac.

9233 Farnsworth Drive is one of those homes that immediately feels different. Genuine mid-century character, nearly three-quarters of an acre, and more than 5,000 square feet of wonderfully flexible living space.

Five bedrooms. 4.5 baths. An updated kitchen. Walls of windows. Three fireplaces. An elevator connecting both levels. And a walk-out lower level with its own bedroom, full bath, kitchenette and generous recreation space.

Outside, mature trees and established gardens give the property a setting that feels increasingly hard to find.

9233 Farnsworth Drive | Potomac, Maryland
$1,375,000

08/25/2026

𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿. 🥶

For the first time this summer, contract activity fell across 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗗𝗖 𝗷𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 we track.

Overall contracts were down 𝟭𝟮.𝟭% from the same week last year.

But here is the number I am watching more closely:

𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱.

44.5 days last year.
44.8 days this year.

That tells us something important.

There are fewer buyers actively writing contracts right now, but the buyers who are in the market are still making decisions at roughly the same pace.

For sellers, this is not the market for testing an ambitious price and hoping buyers come around.

For buyers, the slowdown may create negotiating opportunities that simply were not there a few months ago.

And for everyone watching from the sidelines, I would not draw conclusions from August alone. The real test comes after Labor Day.

Is this simply the traditional late-summer pause, or are higher borrowing costs beginning to reshape fall demand?

The fall market will tell us whether August was simply a seasonal pause or the beginning of a shift in buyer demand.

08/20/2026

Curiosity got the better of me in Paris. 🇫🇷

I stopped at a real estate office to see what an appartement à Paris will set you back.

Different city. Different architecture. Different market.

But I’m always curious about how real estate is valued, marketed and sold elsewhere.

And Paris certainly gave me plenty to look at.

My jaunt in Paris continues…

08/18/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲.

Metro DC contract activity dropped 𝟭𝟰.𝟳% last week.

That number will get the attention.

But this one matters just as much: homes that went under contract did so 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿.

So, what am I telling my clients?

𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀: There are fewer buyers, which means you cannot afford to get the pricing or presentation wrong. The serious buyers are still moving.

𝗕𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀: This is where I start looking for opportunity. Less competition can create negotiating leverage, but the best homes are still finding buyers.

And Prince William County? Apparently, it didn't get the vacation memo. Contract activity was 𝘂𝗽 𝟳.𝟵%.

The market has slowed.

𝗜𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱.

That distinction matters.

08/17/2026

You tell me you want to live in Alexandria. My first question is: Which Alexandria?

Because “Alexandria” can mean a historic brick rowhome near the waterfront…

Or a larger home with a driveway, garage and yard in Fairfax County.

Same Alexandria address. Completely different real estate decision.

The differences go well beyond the house. Commute, taxes, walkability, space and day-to-day lifestyle can change considerably depending on which Alexandria you choose.

I broke it all down in my latest blog:

The Alexandria Identity Crisis: Historic Old Town vs. Greater Alexandria

If Alexandria is on your radar, read this before you decide where to focus your search.

Full article at the link in my bio.

So, which one are you choosing: Old Town or more space?

The underlying distinctions in the caption come directly from your comparison of Alexandria City and Greater Alexandria/Fairfax County.

Address

1320 Old Chain Bridge Road
McLean, VA
22101

Telephone

+15712209481

Website

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