Washington homebuyers get more choices as prices hold steady
Inventory continued to increase across the region in July, giving buyers more options while home prices remained largely unchanged. Even with more homes on the market, desirable properties continued to sell quickly.
Home sales slow as the local economy continues to stabilize
The Washington region's economy continued to recover from the large employment declines seen in 2025. Job losses continued but at a slower pace, helping bring more stability to the housing market.
Home sales fell 2% from a year earlier. It marked the first year-over-year decline in monthly sales activity since January 2026. Even so, sales remained relatively consistent with recent trends. Since 2023, roughly 6,000 homes have typically changed hands across the region each July.
Some buyers are still taking a wait-and-see approach, helping keep sales slightly below last year's pace. At the same time, the market avoided the sharper pullbacks seen in some other parts of the country.
More homes hit the market
Buyers had more homes to choose from this summer.
New listings rose as more homeowners decided to put their properties on the market. That helped push inventory levels higher and increased the number of months it would take to sell all homes for sale at the current pace to 3.8, up 14% from last year.
At the same time, homes actually sold a little faster. Days on market fell slightly from a year ago to 46, down 2.1%, showing that buyers remained active when move-in-ready and competitively priced homes became available.
In short, buyers had more choices, but well-priced homes were still attracting interest.
View the latest homes for sale in Washington DC.
Washington remains one of the nation's most expensive housing markets
Home prices changed little from a year ago, but affordability remains a challenge.
The median home price in the Washington region stood at just over $600,000, about 50% higher than the U.S. median. While prices only climbed $1,053 since last year, a 0.2% increase, the pause in appreciation could give buyers some relief after several years of steep increases.
Condominiums remained the most affordable entry point for many buyers. The median condo price was $385,000, well below the median single-family home price of $730,000.
For buyers, the combination of rising inventory and stable prices offered more opportunities than a year ago. For sellers, strong demand for desirable homes continued to support market conditions, even as competition from other listings increased.
Washington DC Sale Prices
The median home sale price in Washington, D.C. increased by 0.2% compared to the same time last year, while the national median price rose by 2.6%.
Washington DC ranks 27th for annual median price change among the top 40 US markets
Washington, D.C. median home prices rose by $1,053 year over year on a nominal basis in July to $601,053. Meanwhile, the national median home price increased by $10,000 to $400,000.
Washington DC's median home price is above the nation's
Washington, D.C. was the eighth highest-priced housing market among the top 40 largest markets last month. The Washington, D.C. median home price of $601,053 was 50.3% above the national median home price. Washington, D.C.'s median home price in July compares to the market's peak of $625,000 recorded in June of 2026.
Washington DC single-family prices increase
The median price of Washington, D.C. single-family homes rose by $4,833 over the past year to $730,000, while the median townhome price grew by 2.7%, and the median condo price rose by 1.3%.
Washington DC Inventory
The number of homes for sale in Washington, D.C. increased by 15.4% in July compared to the same time last year, while national homes for sale rose by 4.4%.
Washington DC's inventory of homes for sale increases
Washington, D.C. homes for sale rose by 2,709 year over year in July to 20,308 homes for sale. Washington, D.C. ranked sixth, on a percentage basis, for the annual change in the number of homes for sale among the top 40 U.S. markets in July.
Washington DC homes for sale are below their pre-pandemic levels
Washington, D.C. homes for sale were below their pre-pandemic levels in the month of July. Washington, D.C. homes for sale were 18.6% below the July 2019 total of 24,938.
Washington DC single-family inventory grows
Washington, D.C. single-family homes for sale grew by 8.7% to 9,625 in July. In comparison, townhomes for sale rose by 16.2% to 5,038, and condos for sale increased by 28.1% to 5,645.
Washington DC Home Sales
The number of home sales in Washington, D.C. decreased by 2% in July compared to the same time last year, while national home sales rose by 2.9%.
Washington DC home sales decrease
Washington, D.C. home sales declined by 126 year over year on a nominal basis in July to 6,026. For context, 6,152 sales closed in Washington, D.C. in July 2025.
Washington DC's annual home sales activity change ranks 34th nationally
Washington, D.C. ranked 34th for the annual change in home sales out of the top 40 U.S. markets in July on a percentage basis. This year's July decrease of 2% compares to the 3.8% year over year decrease in July 2025.
Single-family sales in Washington DC are higher than a year ago
Washington, D.C. single-family sales increased by 0.3% in July to 3,230. In comparison, townhome sales fell by 1.2% to 1,641, and condo sales fell by 9.1% to 1,155.
For questions and commentary about this report:
Melina Duggal, Senior Director of Market Analytics at CoStar and Homes.com, based in Washington, D.C., is available for interviews to provide expert insights on this data and the broader residential real estate market.
Melina Duggal
Senior Director Market Analytics
Homes.com releases preliminary figures on housing trends on a monthly basis. Although these numbers may change slightly once all transactions are accounted for, they provide an early indication of home price appreciation, inventory changes, and sales volume in Washington, D.C. during July 2026.
For most markets, geographical coverage consists of the Census-defined Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA). Data for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York is at the Metropolitan Division level.
Definition of Sale Prices
Median home price is the midpoint sale price of homes closed during each month. This data includes homes that are detached, attached, and condominiums. Detached homes are single-family units. Attached homes are townhomes, rowhouses, and duplexes. The condominium classification includes co-ops.
Definition of Inventory
Inventory is the number of unique active listings that were for sale during each month. This data includes homes that are detached, attached, and condominiums. Detached homes are single-family units. Attached homes are townhomes, rowhouses, and duplexes. The condominium classification includes co-ops.
Definition of Home Sales
The total number of closed home sales on the MLS during the month. This data includes homes that are detached, attached, and condominiums. Detached homes are single-family units. Attached homes are townhomes, rowhouses, and duplexes. The condominium classification includes co-ops.
Definition of Days on Market
The median number of days from initial listing to closing of properties whose closing occurred during the month. This data includes detached, attached, and condominium homes. Detached homes are single-family units. Attached homes are townhomes, rowhouses, and duplexes. The condominium classification includes co-ops.
Definition of Months of Supply (MOS)
Months of Supply (MOS) is equal to active listings divided by homes sold in a given month. This data includes homes that are detached, attached, and condominiums. Detached homes are single-family units. Attached homes are townhomes, rowhouses, and duplexes. The condominium classification includes co-ops.
Definition of Sale to List Price Ratio
The sale-to-list price ratio is the ratio of the sale (closing) price to the original list price, whose closing occurred during the month. This data includes homes that are detached, attached, and condominiums. Detached homes are single-family units. Attached homes are townhomes, rowhouses, and duplexes. The condominium classification includes co-ops.
About the Homes.com Market Analytics Team
The Homes.com Market Analytics group is a team of experienced analysts embedded in nearly 30 markets across North America. These experts reside in and regularly visit the markets they cover, providing local expertise and a national perspective on all sectors of real estate: residential, office, industrial, retail, and multifamily.
About Homes.com Analytics Data
The Homes.com analytic data is compiled by the CoStar Analytics team, the largest and most experienced analytics team in the real estate industry. The team consists of over 50 economists, analysts, and data scientists, who collectively have more than 900 years of real estate experience and over 30 advanced degrees. Analysts on the team live in and around the markets they cover, enabling them to build deep local knowledge and unique insights.
The data set being used by the team is one of the most comprehensive and robust in the industry. It spans all 393 metropolitan markets, 542 micropolitan markets, and over 35,000 local neighborhoods in the U.S. The data set is sourced from almost 500 Multiple Listing Service (MLS) providers around the country, as well as public record data from each market, and is supplemented by proprietary data collected by CoStar's team of over 2,000 researchers. It includes a complete inventory of all homes in the U.S., including homes for sale, homes for rent, new construction homes, as well as sale comps and rent comps.