September 2026 Report
Washington D.C. Metro
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Home Demand Index
The Home Demand Index (HDI) for the Washington D.C. metro area stands at 83 for this report period, down 7 points from last month’s 90 and below the 89 recorded one year ago. That leaves the market 7.8% lower on the month and 6.7% lower than a year ago, a broad-based cooling that carries a Slow demand rating heading into the fall. The pullback is consistent across most home-type and price tiers rather than concentrated in any single segment, pointing to rate-and-affordability fatigue rather than a localized shift.
Demand by home type in Washington D.C. this period ranges from a high of 104 in the entry-level condo tier to a low of 72 in the mid-range single-family tier, with most segments softening month over month. The condo tiers continue to screen strongest on the index, while single-family demand sits lower, a pattern driven by the affordability advantage condos hold at their price points. Entry single-family remains the most payment-sensitive tier at 82 (Slow), and mid-range single-family sits at 72. Luxury single-family reads 76 and the townhouse/rowhouse format 90, both easing on the month. Inventory generally sits in the two-to-seven-month range across tiers, keeping the metro balanced-to-soft rather than tight.
Monthly Statistics for September 2026
Home Demand
Index
Index
83
(Slow)
Home Demand Index
from prior month
from prior month
90
Home Demand Index
from prior year
from prior year
89
Index change
from prior month
from prior month
-7.8%
Index change from
same time last year
same time last year
-6.7%
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Home Demand Index | Historical Year-over-Year Comparison
Over the trailing twelve months, Washington D.C.’s Home Demand Index followed a clear seasonal arc, easing through the fall to a low of 54 in December before recovering through the winter to a spring peak of 104 in April. It has since drifted lower through the summer to the current 83, tracking below the prior-year path, which ran from 89 a year ago to 90 last month. The year-over-year gap has widened as the market moved into late summer, underscoring that this cycle’s demand is running cooler than the comparable stretch of 2024-25.
Home Demand Index
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Home Demand Map
Demand across the Washington D.C. metro continues to reflect its established geographic structure, spanning core counties such as Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George’s, along with the District itself. Buyer activity remains firmest in the higher-income, supply-constrained submarkets and softest where entry-level affordability is most stretched, a divergence that has held steady even as the metro-wide index has cooled. The overall Slow reading masks that internal spread, with individual submarkets sitting on either side of the metro average.
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Demand and Inventory by Home Type
Demand by home type in Washington D.C. this period ranges from a high of 104 in the entry-level condo tier to a low of 72 in the mid-range single-family tier, with most segments softening month over month. The condo tiers continue to screen strongest on the index, while single-family demand sits lower, a pattern driven by the affordability advantage condos hold at their price points. Entry single-family remains the most payment-sensitive tier at 82 (Slow), and mid-range single-family sits at 72. Luxury single-family reads 76 and the townhouse/rowhouse format 90, both easing on the month. Inventory generally sits in the two-to-seven-month range across tiers, keeping the metro balanced-to-soft rather than tight.
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Single Family Home Below $580k
The index for entry-level single-family homes in Washington D.C. (below $580,000) stands at 82 this report period, down 3 points from last month’s 85 and below the 83 recorded a year ago. That keeps the tier in Slow territory, with roughly 3.7 months of inventory across 1,429 active listings and 390 sales last month. The year-over-year decline signals demand running cooler than the same period last cycle at this price point.
Monthly Statistics for Single Family Home Below $580k
Home Demand
Index
Index
82
(Slow)
Home Demand Index
from prior month
from prior month
85
Home Demand Index
from prior year
from prior year
83
Months of
inventory
inventory
3.7
Average daily inventory last month
1,429
Inventory sold
last month
last month
390
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Single Family Home $580k - $1400k
The index for mid-range single-family homes in Washington D.C. ($580,000 to $1.4 million) stands at 72 this report period, down 9 points from last month’s 81 and below the 84 recorded a year ago. That keeps the tier in Slow territory, with roughly 2.4 months of inventory across 2,590 active listings and 1,070 sales last month. The year-over-year decline signals demand running cooler than the same period last cycle at this price point.
Monthly Statistics for Single Family Home $580k - $1400k
Home Demand
Index
Index
72
(Slow)
Home Demand Index
from prior month
from prior month
81
Home Demand Index
from prior year
from prior year
84
Months of
Inventory
Inventory
2.4
Average daily inventory last month
2,590
Inventory sold
last month
last month
1,070
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Single Family Home Above $1400k
The index for luxury single-family homes in Washington D.C. (above $1.4 million) stands at 76 this report period, down 11 points from last month’s 87 and below the 93 recorded a year ago. That keeps the tier in Slow territory, with roughly 3.4 months of inventory across 793 active listings and 234 sales last month. The year-over-year decline signals demand running cooler than the same period last cycle at this price point.
Monthly Statistics for Single Family Home Above $1400k
Home Demand
Index
Index
76
(Slow)
Home Demand Index
from prior month
from prior month
87
Home Demand Index
from prior year
from prior year
93
Months of
Inventory
Inventory
3.4
Average daily inventory last month
793
Inventory sold
last month
last month
234
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Condo Below $607k
The index for entry-level condominium homes in Washington D.C. (below $607,000) stands at 104 this report period, down 6 points from last month’s 110 and below the 108 recorded a year ago. That keeps the tier in Steady territory, with roughly 6.6 months of inventory across 3,257 active listings and 495 sales last month. The year-over-year decline signals demand running cooler than the same period last cycle at this price point.
Monthly Statistics for Condo Below $607k
Home Demand
Index
Index
104
(Steady)
Home Demand Index
from prior month
from prior month
110
Home Demand Index
from prior year
from prior year
108
Months of
Inventory
Inventory
6.6
Average daily inventory last month
3,257
Inventory sold
last month
last month
495
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Condo Above $607k
The index for luxury condominium homes in Washington D.C. (above $607,000) stands at 85 this report period, down 13 points from last month’s 98 and below the 113 recorded a year ago. That keeps the tier in Slow territory, with roughly 4.1 months of inventory across 470 active listings and 114 sales last month. The year-over-year decline signals demand running cooler than the same period last cycle at this price point.
Monthly Statistics for Condo Above $607k
Home Demand
Index
Index
85
(Slow)
Home Demand Index
from prior month
from prior month
98
Home Demand Index
from prior year
from prior year
113
Months of
Inventory
Inventory
4.1
Average daily inventory last month
470
Inventory sold
last month
last month
114
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Townhouse/Rowhouse/Twin All prices
Townhouse/
Rowhouse/Twin
All prices
The index for townhouses, rowhouses and twins in Washington D.C. (all prices) stands at 90 this report period, down 6 points from last month’s 96 and even with the 90 of a year ago. The tier sits in Steady territory with about 3.4 months of inventory across 3,874 active listings and 1,125 sales last month. As the metro’s highest-volume attached format, it typically tracks close to the overall market, and this period is no exception at 90 against the metro’s 83.
Monthly Statistics for Townhouse/Rowhouse/TwinAll prices
Home Demand
Index
Index
90
(Steady)
Home Demand Index
from prior month
from prior month
96
Home Demand Index
from prior year
from prior year
90
Months of
Inventory
Inventory
3.4
Average daily inventory last month
3,874
Inventory sold
last month
last month
1,125
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com
Note
1. This report is generated with data from the following counties:
- Maryland-West Virginia Panhandle – Allegany, MD; Berkeley, WV; Garrett, MD; Grant, WV; Hampshire, WV; Hardy, WV; Jefferson, WV; Mineral, WV; Morgan, WV; Pendleton, WV; Washington, MD;
- North Central Virginia – Caroline, VA; Clarke, VA; Culpeper, VA; Fauquier, VA; Frederick, VA; Fredericksburg City, VA; King George, VA; Madison, VA; Manassas City, VA; Orange, VA; Page, VA; Prince William, VA; Rappahannock, VA; Shenandoah, VA; Spotsylvania, VA; Stafford, VA; Warren, VA; Winchester City, VA;
- Southern Maryland – Calvert, MD; Charles, MD; Saint Marys, MD;
- Washington D.C. Metro – Alexandria City, VA; Arlington, VA; Fairfax, VA; Falls Church City, VA; Frederick, MD; Loudoun, VA; Montgomery, MD; Prince Georges, MD; Washington, DC;
2. This report is for the September 2026 period with data collected from the previous month.
Released: September 11, 2026
Reference ID: 2487
Washington D.C. | September 2026
Home Demand Map (Zip Codes)
Demand across the Washington D.C. metro continues to reflect its established geographic structure, spanning core counties such as Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George’s, along with the District itself. Buyer activity remains firmest in the higher-income, supply-constrained submarkets and softest where entry-level affordability is most stretched, a divergence that has held steady even as the metro-wide index has cooled. The overall Slow reading masks that internal spread, with individual submarkets sitting on either side of the metro average.
Bright MLS | T3 Home Demand Index
www.homedemandindex.com