41Alpha

Washington, DC metro area Housing Market Brief

metro · DC · as of August 2026

Balanced

What is Washington, DC metro area’s Alpha Score?

The Alpha Score is a composite 0–100 index of market strength, a weighted blend of five dimensions. See the methodology.

Price Momentum25%
+2.670
Inventory Health31%
-5.528
Affordability25%
+8.439
Economic StrengthNo data
Rental Yield19%
+7.528

Where is Washington, DC metro area in its market cycle?

EmergingGrowingMaturePeakingDecliningRecovering

Washington, DC metro area is classified as Recovering turning back up after a downturn. This is a classification of recent (1–12 month) momentum, not a price forecast.

What’s the forecast for Washington, DC metro area?

Our model forecasts Washington, DC metro area’s home prices to rise about 2.0% over the next 12 months (high confidence).

This is a separate, forward-looking view — not the cycle classification above. See how past forecasts performed on the track record, or the full local forecast with its confidence range on the market page.

Washington, DC metro area housing market data

MetricValueYoY
Median Sale Price$598K▲ +1.4%
Median Days on Market47 days▲ +6.8%
Months of Supply3.3▲ +10%
Homes for Sale13,831▲ +9%
Homes Sold4,385-1.6%
Median Price / Sq Ft$290-0.9%

How has Washington, DC metro area’s Alpha Score moved?

Now: 41
12-period trend
Median sale price · 12 mo

Markets like Washington, DC metro area

Frequently asked questions

Is Washington, DC metro area a buyer's or seller's market?

As of August 2026, Washington, DC metro area is classified as a Balanced Market, based on its Alpha Score of 41 out of 100. It is based on the 4 of five dimensions we can measure for this market — price, inventory, affordability, and rental-yield — whose weights are scaled up to cover the whole score. The rest are not measured here and are left out rather than filled in with a placeholder.

Are home prices rising or falling in Washington, DC metro area?

The median sale price in Washington, DC metro area is $598K, having risen 1.4% over the past year.

How affordable is Washington, DC metro area?

Washington, DC metro area scores 39 out of 100 on affordability — relatively unaffordable relative to local incomes and prevailing mortgage rates compared with other metros.

What's driving Washington, DC metro area's Alpha Score?

Washington, DC metro area's strongest dimension is Price Momentum (70/100) and its weakest is Rental Yield (28/100). The Alpha Score is a weighted blend of five dimensions; 4 of them have data for this market.

Want the live, interactive view of Washington, DC metro area? Open the full market dashboard — charts, ZIP-level drill-down, and watchlist tracking. Explore the map or read the methodology.