Fairfax County’s October home-sales market had its best showing since July, with total sales volume up 10% month over month and 12.8% year over year.
A total of 1,027 residential properties went to closing in October, according to figures reported Nov. 11 by Bright MLS, the region’s multiple-listing service. That’s up 6.6% from 963 sales in October 2024.
When coupled with higher average prices in all segments of the market, total sales volume for the month stood at $931.8 million — an increase from $914 million in September 2025 and from $826.1 million in October 2024.
The average sales price was higher, if modestly, in each leg of the market:
- The average price for single-family detached homes rose 4.6% year over year to $1,218,043
- The average price for attached homes (townhouses, rowhouses and condominiums) was up 1.2% to $567,809
- The average price for condominiums increased 1.2% to $422,960
For the Fairfax County market as a whole, the average price in October was $897,994, an increase of 4.8% from $856,952 a year before. Part of that increase was due to the slightly larger percentage — 51% vs. 49% — of single-family homes in the overall sales mix in October 2025 compared to October 2024.
The median sales price for homes that sold countywide was also up, but more modestly, rising 2.8% to $745,000.
Homes that went to closing in October countywide spent an average 28 days on the market between listing and ratified sales contract, up from 18 a year before. They garnered 97.9% of listing price, compared to 99.8% a year ago.
At the end of the month, there were 1,625 homes on the market countywide, an increase of 34.7% from a year before. The 942 pending sales for the month were down 3.4% from a year before.
Homes that went to closing in October typically represented agreements that had been made before the federal government shutdown began Oct. 1. Despite the apparent end of the shutdown this week, economic concerns for the region persist.
“While the D.C. area housing market has been fairly resilient, we are definitely seeing some cracks,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist for Bright MLS.
“Even though mortgage rates are at their lowest level in 13 months, homebuyers are still very cautious,” Sturtevant said. “Many prospective homebuyers are watching the news of weakness in the economy and are carefully monitoring their own economic situations.”
Northern Virginia home sales were in positive territory for the month, but declines were reported in D.C. and the inner Maryland suburbs.
Across the Washington region, year-over-year sales were effectively unchanged — 4,201 in October 2025 versus 4,207 in October 2026.
Figures represent most, but not all, homes on the market. They come from data provided by MarketStats by ShowingTime.
October 2025 figures are preliminary and are subject to revision.
Dip in region’s single-family home prices exceeds national rate
Quarterly declines are not unusual as the homes market transitions from the first half of the year into the second. But the drop in the D.C. region was 3.6% — six times the 0.6% decline nationally.
The median single-family home price in the local area for the third quarter was $657,200, according to preliminary data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). That’s down from $681,900 in the second quarter.
Nationally, the third-quarter rate of $426,000 was down from $428,500 in the second quarter, according to the new figures.
In each case, median sales prices were up year over year, rising 2.3% from $642,500 in the D.C. region and 1.7% from $419,500 nationally.
Nationally, 77% of the 230 tracked metropolitan areas showed year-over-year increases in the new data, with 4% of markets posting double-digit increases, according to the national trade organization.
Median existing single-family home price by region rose year over year by the following margins:
- Northeast: $540,100 (+6.0%)
- Midwest: $331,100 (+4.2%)
- South: $372,800 (+0.5%)
- West: $633,900 (-0.1%)
“Markets in the supply-constrained Northeast and the more affordable Midwest have generally seen stronger price appreciation,” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun. “Price declines are occurring mainly in southern states, where there has been robust new home construction in recent years.”
The 10 priciest markets in the country in the third quarter were:
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,915,000; +0.8%)
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, Calif. ($1,400,000; +0.1%)
- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif. ($1,315,000; +0.5%)
- Urban Honolulu, Hawaii ($1,127,900; -0.9%)
- Salinas, Calif. ($1,019,900; +6.3%)
- San Diego-Carlsbad, Calif. ($1,009,500; 0.0%)
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. ($954,100; +0.7%)
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif. ($935,700; -1.2%)
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif. ($931,800; -1.9%)
- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn. ($844,900; +7.8%)
Fourth-quarter figures are expected to be released on Feb. 4.
