Liz Lavette Shorb — Washington Fine Properties
Public Housing Research

Washington, DC Housing Market Report: August 2026

A decision-focused reading of GCAAR and Bright MLS August 2026 District-wide statistics.

Geography
Washington, DC
Period
August 2026, with July, August 2025, YTD, and five-year August comparisons
Median sold price
$681,500

+1.7% year over year; +1.3% month over month

Active listings
2,514

Down 4.3% from 2,626 in August 2025, calculated from published counts

Average days on market
51

44 in August 2025; five-year August average 40

Average sold-to-original-list
95.7%

95.2% in August 2025; five-year August average 96.5%

Fewer transactions, modest price growth

GCAAR reported 438 closed sales, down 19.5% year over year, while the median sold price increased 1.7% to $681,500. New listings fell 15.9% and new pendings fell 14.6% from August 2025. Those movements can coexist because price medians reflect the mix of properties that closed, not a constant basket of homes.

Longer exposure and a wider original-list gap

Average days on market reached 51, compared with 44 a year earlier and a five-year August average of 40. The average sold-to-original-list ratio was 95.7%. These figures support disciplined launch pricing and a review of price-change history, but they do not define the terms for one house, condo, or co-op.

YTD boundary

Through August, closed sales were down 3.5% and the median sold price was up 0.4%. The single August decline in closings was materially larger than the YTD change, which is why monthly and cumulative evidence should be reported together.

Scope and limits

District-wide figures combine many housing forms, neighborhoods, conditions, and price bands. They do not measure a named property or luxury segment.

Primary sources

Read the companion article