Washington, DC recorded a $681,500 median sold price in August 2026, up 1.7% from a year earlier. Closed sales fell 19.5%, new listings fell 15.9%, and new pendings fell 14.6%. Average days on market increased to 51.
The Washington, DC August report keeps those measures together without claiming one explains another.
Price and volume can move in different directions
A higher median alongside fewer sales is not contradictory. The median reflects the middle of the properties that closed. If the transaction mix changes by neighborhood, form, size, condition, or price band, the median can change without measuring appreciation for a constant home.
Longer average exposure changes the planning questions
The 51-day average was seven days longer than August 2025 and eleven days above the five-year August average. That supports early checkpoints for price, access, presentation, feedback, and competition. It does not prove that every correctly positioned home will take 51 days.
Original list price is a useful discipline measure
The average sold-to-original-list ratio was 95.7%, compared with 95.2% a year earlier and a five-year August average of 96.5%. The metric is broad, but it reinforces the cost of evaluating the launch price rather than only the final reduced price.
Monthly and YTD evidence differ
August closed sales were down 19.5% year over year, while year-to-date closed sales were down 3.5%. The year-to-date median sold price was up 0.4%. A responsible market discussion should identify which period supports each statement.
Property-level next step
For a DC house, condo, or co-op, build a file that separates:
- same-product closed sales;
- active and pending alternatives;
- original and current pricing history;
- condition, permits, disclosures, and specialist questions;
- building finances, insurance, assessments, and policies where applicable;
- financing, appraisal, and contract timing; and
- verified facts from unresolved assumptions.
Source and scope note
Figures come from the GCAAR August 2026 Washington, DC report, based on Bright MLS data and calculated by MarketStats by ShowingTime. District-wide evidence combines many neighborhoods, property forms, conditions, and price bands.
Contact Liz for a current address-level DC comparison.