DC Metro Housing Market July 2026: $650K Median, Inventory Highest Since 2019

Watch first: the 90-second breakdown of all eight markets is above — Montgomery County, DC, Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Alexandria, Frederick, and Prince George's. Full numbers below.

Key Takeaways: The Washington DC Metro median sold price was $650,000 in July 2026 (Bright MLS) — up 1.6% year over year, but down 3.7% from June's $675,000. Active listings climbed to 11,431, up 11.2% and the highest inventory level in the region since 2019. Homes sold in a median of 15 days. Showings fell 4.7% and new pending sales dropped 4.2%. After two years of tightening, the DMV is loosening — and the condo segment has loosened the most.

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This is the first market report I've written in a while where the direction changed.

Through the spring, every metric pointed the same way: prices up, inventory scarce, homes gone in a week. May set a record at $680,000. July did not continue that trend. Prices came off the seasonal peak, showings declined, buyers under contract declined — and inventory kept building.

Bright MLS's own framing is the clearest summary I've seen: high-intent buyers are still active, but discretionary buyers have pulled back. People who need to move are moving. People who were browsing have stopped.

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DC Metro July 2026 Market Snapshot

Metric	July 2026	Year-over-Year	vs. June 2026
Closed Sales	4,690	−0.0%	−11.1%
Median Sales Price	$650,000	+1.6%	−3.7%
Median Days on Market	15 days	+0 days	+4 days
New Pending Sales	4,202	−4.2%	−14.9%
New Listings	5,085	+3.3%	−6.7%
Active Listings	11,431	+11.2%	+2.4%
Months of Supply	2.75	+0.27 months	—
Showings	86,477	−4.7%	—

Source: Bright MLS, July 2026, Washington DC Metro. Data as of August 6, 2026.

Year to date, the region is still ahead of 2025: 29,730 closed sales (+2.0%) at a median of $649,889 (+2.7%). The full-year picture is healthy. The month-to-month picture is softening.

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Inventory Is the Headline: 11,431 Active Listings

The single most important number in this report is 11,431 active listings — up 11.2% year over year, and the most inventory the DC Metro has carried since 2019.

For context on how long that took: the region spent the entire post-2020 period with historically thin supply. That was the structural reason prices climbed regardless of mortgage rates. There simply wasn't enough to buy.

That constraint is easing. New listings came in at 5,085 in July, up 3.3% year over year — sellers are returning to the market. Meanwhile new pending sales fell 4.2% and showings fell 4.7%. More supply, less demand pressure. Months of supply rose to 2.75 from 2.48 a year ago.

To be clear about what this is and isn't: 2.75 months of supply is still a seller's market. Balanced is 4–6 months. But the direction has reversed, and for the first time in three years buyers have measurably more to choose from.

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Three Property Types, Three Different Markets

The metro-level median hides the most useful thing in this report. Segment the data by property type and the DMV splits into three genuinely different markets:

Metric	Detached Single-Family	Townhome / Attached	Condo
Median Sold Price	$849,995	$607,500	$392,500
YoY Price Change	+1.2%	+1.3%	−1.6%
Median Days on Market	11 days	13 days	30 days
DOM vs. July 2025	−1 day	+0 days	+7 days
Closed Sales YoY	+2.0%	+2.6%	−6.7%
Active Listings YoY	+1.5%	+10.2%	+23.7%
Months of Supply	2.23	2.34	4.21

Source: Bright MLS, July 2026, Washington DC Metro

Detached single-family is still tight. Active listings up just 1.5%, supply at 2.23 months — actually tighter than a year ago — and homes selling a day faster than last July. If you own a detached house in a good school district, nothing about your position has weakened.

Townhomes are steady. Prices up 1.3%, days on market flat, sales up 2.6%. Inventory is building (+10.2%) but demand is keeping pace.

Condos have turned. This is the real story of July 2026. Prices are down 1.6% year over year. Days on market jumped from 23 to 30. Active listings are up 23.7%. New pending sales fell 11.8%. And months of supply hit 4.21 — which puts the condo segment squarely inside the balanced-market band for the first time since 2020.

If you are a condo buyer in this region, this is the most negotiating leverage you have had in six years. If you are a condo seller, pricing and condition now matter in a way they did not last summer.

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The County Picture: Arlington Up 15.9%, Fairfax and Montgomery Slightly Negative

Market	Median Price	YoY Price	DOM	Months of Supply	Closed Sales YoY
Arlington County, VA	$823,000	+15.9%	13 days	2.49	−5.0%
Loudoun County, VA	$813,000	+7.4%	13 days	1.96	−1.0%
Fairfax County, VA	$755,448	−1.2%	10 days	2.01	+0.3%
Alexandria City, VA	$710,000	+3.6%	12 days	2.43	−2.3%
Washington, DC	$672,500	−0.4%	30 days	5.05	−1.0%
Montgomery County, MD	$656,000	−0.6%	15 days	2.51	−0.4%
Frederick County, MD	$512,500	+2.5%	14 days	2.47	+17.3%
Prince George's County, MD	$449,000	+0.2%	22 days	3.25	−1.6%
Fairfax City, VA¹	$732,500	−5.8%	14 days	2.11	−17.6%
Falls Church City, VA¹	$526,000	−44.3%	17 days	2.86	−57.1%

¹ Fairfax City (28 sales) and Falls Church City (9 sales) have sample sizes too small for month-to-month price comparisons to mean anything. Falls Church in particular swings wildly — it posted a $1.2M median in May on 21 sales.

Source: Bright MLS, July 2026 Local Markets data

Three things worth pulling out of that table:

Arlington's +15.9% is the outlier. At $823,000 it is now the most expensive major jurisdiction in the region, passing Loudoun and Fairfax. That gain is a mix shift as much as appreciation — Arlington's closed sales fell 5.0%, and when volume drops the remaining sales skew toward the higher-end product that is still moving.

Loudoun is now the tightest market in the DMV at 1.96 months of supply, taking that title from Fairfax County (2.01).

Frederick County is the volume story. Closed sales up 17.3%, pendings up 8.9%, showings up 8.7% — the only jurisdiction in the region with demand accelerating on every measure. At a $512,500 median it is where affordability-driven buyers are going.

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Where Demand Actually Fell

Showings are the earliest demand signal in the data, and July's showing declines were not evenly spread:

• Alexandria City: −32.2% (and new pendings −32.0%)
• Arlington County: −16.9%
• Washington, DC: −14.3%
• Loudoun County: −12.9%
• Montgomery County: −7.1%
• Fairfax County: +1.7%
• Frederick County: +8.7%
• Prince George's County: +4.1%

The pattern is fairly legible: the higher-priced inner jurisdictions saw the sharpest pullback, while the more affordable outer counties held or gained. That is what a rate-sensitive, affordability-constrained market looks like.

Alexandria is the one to watch. A 32% drop in both showings and pending sales in a single month, against a 33.4% jump in active listings, is a market repricing in real time.

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Mortgage Rates: Still in the Mid-to-High 6s

The 30-year fixed has spent the last twelve months trading between roughly 6% and 7% (Freddie Mac PMMS), and drifted toward the upper half of that band heading into August. Bright's outlook explicitly flags the possibility of further increases into the fall, with slower-than-expected third-quarter sales activity.

I've said this in every one of these reports and it hasn't stopped being true: buyers waiting for a 5-handle have now been waiting for over two years. Nothing in this data suggests that wait is about to be rewarded. What has changed is that inventory improved — which is a different and more actionable kind of help.

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What This Means by Situation

You're selling a detached single-family home: Your position is essentially unchanged. Supply in your segment is 2.23 months and actually tighter than last year. Price it correctly and it moves. The one adjustment: the days-on-market clock has slowed four days since June, so build a slightly longer timeline into your plan.

You're selling a condo: This is a different market than the one you may have been picturing. Thirty days to contract, 4.21 months of supply, and prices down year over year. Overpricing by 3% in this segment now costs you six weeks, not six days. Condition, HOA health, and photography carry real weight. Get the pricing right at launch.

You're selling a townhome: Solidly in between. Demand held up (+2.6% closed sales), pricing held up (+1.3%), and inventory is building but not alarmingly. Standard preparation and honest pricing still produce a fast sale.

You're buying anywhere in the DMV: You have more choice than at any point since 2019 and less competition from casual shoppers. Inspection contingencies are more achievable than they were in the spring. This is a genuinely better month to be a buyer than May was.

You're buying a condo: This is your window. Four-plus months of supply, 30 days on market, and softening prices give you room to negotiate on price, closing costs, and repairs simultaneously. Do your homework on reserve studies and HOA finances — that's where the real risk sits, not in the price.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average home price in the DC Metro in 2026?

The median sales price across the Washington DC Metro was $650,000 in July 2026, up 1.6% from July 2025 but down 3.7% from June 2026. Year to date, the median is $649,889, up 2.7% over the same period last year. By property type: detached single-family $849,995, townhomes $607,500, condos $392,500.

Is the DC Metro housing market slowing down in 2026?

It is softening, not crashing. July closed sales were flat year over year (−0.0%), showings fell 4.7%, and new pending sales fell 4.2%, while active listings rose 11.2% to the highest level since 2019. Prices are still up year over year. The accurate description is a market moving from severe undersupply toward balance.

How fast are homes selling in the DC Metro?

The median was 15 days from list to contract in July 2026, unchanged from July 2025 but four days slower than June. Detached single-family homes moved fastest at 11 days, townhomes at 13 days, and condos slowest at 30 days.

Is it a buyer's market in the DC Metro right now?

Not overall — 2.75 months of supply is still seller's market territory (balanced is 4–6 months). But two specific segments are close to balanced: the condo market at 4.21 months, and Washington DC proper at 5.05 months. Buyers in those two segments have real leverage.

Which DMV market has the most inventory?

Washington, DC has 2,630 active listings at 5.05 months of supply — the deepest supply in the region, driven by its condo stock. Prince George's County is next at 3.25 months. Loudoun County is tightest at 1.96 months.

Why did the DC Metro median price drop from June to July?

Two reasons. First, seasonality: the DMV median almost always peaks in May or June and declines through the fall. Second, mix — the higher-end segment slowed in July, and when fewer expensive homes close the median falls even if individual home values don't. The year-over-year comparison (+1.6%) is the more reliable signal than the month-over-month.

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Related Reports

• Montgomery County housing market — July 2026 — county-level deep dive
• Northern Virginia housing market — July 2026 — Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Alexandria
• Washington DC housing market — July 2026 — the region's most balanced market
• DC Metro housing market — May 2026 — the record-high month, for comparison
• Is now a good time to buy? — buyer decision framework
• Should I sell my home in 2026? — seller decision framework

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What I'm Seeing on the Ground

The shift in this data matches what my clients have been experiencing since about mid-June. Buyers who were losing to five competing offers in April are now getting their first choice — sometimes with an inspection contingency attached. Sellers who priced for the spring market and didn't adjust are sitting.

The mistake I'd warn against right now is applying one market's rules to another. A detached house in Bethesda and a condo in Navy Yard are not experiencing the same July. If you price the house like the condo market, you leave money on the table. If you price the condo like the house market, you sit for two months and then cut anyway.

If you want to know which of these three markets your specific property or search actually sits in, I'll give you a straight answer.

Get in touch →