Homes Are Sitting Longer This Year. So Why Are Prices Still Going Up?

If you have been watching the DMV housing market, you have probably noticed something odd. Homes are taking longer to sell than they did a year ago. But in most counties, prices are still climbing.

That sounds like a contradiction. It isn't. The June 2026 data shows a market that is slowing down and holding steady at the same time. Six of the seven counties we track saw prices rise. Only one, Washington, DC, saw a price drop. Meanwhile, almost every county saw homes sit on the market a little longer than last year.

This is not a market falling apart. It is a market finding a new, more normal pace after a few years where almost any home sold within days.

The Headline Numbers

Six counties gained value. One did not. Almost every county is taking a bit longer to sell a home than it did last year. To understand why, it helps to look at two numbers most buyers and sellers never check: months of supply and something called cumulative days on market.

Why "Months of Supply" Matters More Than You Think

Months of supply tells you how long it would take to sell every home on the market right now, if no new homes were listed. A low number means buyers are competing for a small pool of homes. A high number means buyers have more homes to choose from, and more time to choose.

Howard County has the tightest supply in the group, just 1.7 months. It also had the smallest jump in days on market, only three extra days. Northern Virginia is close behind at 1.9 months. Its price rose 3.4 percent and its days on market did not change at all. When you see rising prices and steady selling speed together like that, it usually means buyers are still competing hard for homes.

Washington, DC sits at the other end. Its supply actually got a little better over the year, dropping from 5.5 months to 4.7. But that is still more than double every other county on this list. That much extra supply is likely why DC is the one market where sellers lost some pricing power.

Prince George's County is worth watching too. Its supply jumped from 2.7 months to 3.4, the biggest increase of any county here, and days on market rose from 27 to 34. Prices barely moved. This looks like a market shifting toward buyers, even if it hasn't fully shifted yet.

The Number That Reveals a Relisted Home

Here is a trick real estate agents use that most buyers never think to check.

Days on market, or DOM, counts how long the current listing has been active. Cumulative days on market, or CDOM, adds up the time from any earlier listing of that same home too. When CDOM is much higher than DOM, it usually means the home was pulled off the market and relisted, often after a price cut.

The gap between these two numbers is bigger in some counties than others, and it tells a story.

Frederick County has the widest gap of any county here, 20 days. That's true even though its overall CDOM actually dropped a lot from last year, from 60 days down to 44. Washington, DC is close behind with a 17 day gap, and Prince George's follows at 15 days. Howard County has the smallest gap of all, just 4 days. That means most homes there sell without ever needing a price reset.

For buyers, a wide gap is worth asking about. Was this home relisted? Why didn't it sell the first time around? For sellers, it's a reminder that pricing a home right from day one saves you from that relisting penalty entirely.

A Closer Look at Each County

Montgomery County had the strongest price growth in the group, and days on market only rose by two days. Supply stayed fairly balanced at 2.4 months. Well-priced homes here are still moving fast, and buyers are still willing to compete for them.

Frederick County gained nearly 5 percent in price while supply crept up only slightly. Its CDOM dropped sharply from last year, which suggests fewer homes needed a price reset before selling, even though the typical time on market ticked up a bit.

Anne Arundel County saw solid price growth along with a five day increase in days on market. Supply held steady at 2.1 months. This looks less like weaker demand and more like buyers simply taking a little more time before making an offer.

Prince George's County is the market to watch most closely. Price growth nearly stalled, days on market jumped by a full week, and supply grew faster here than anywhere else in this report. Homes are still selling, but buyers have noticeably more leverage than they did last year.

Howard County kept the tightest supply and the smallest jump in days on market of the whole group, though price growth was modest. The shortage of listings is still supporting home values here, even without big price jumps.

Washington, DC was the only market with a price drop, and it has by far the highest supply. Keep in mind the citywide number blends very different types of homes, condos, rowhouses, and single family houses across dozens of neighborhoods. A buyer or seller in DC should look at neighborhood level numbers, not just the citywide figure.

Northern Virginia delivered the clearest sign of a tight market: prices up 3.4 percent, with zero change in how fast homes sold. Supply held steady at 1.9 months, among the lowest of any county here.

What Buyers Should Take From This

If you're waiting for prices to drop across the board, this data doesn't support that bet. Six of seven counties gained value this year, and even the one that fell only dipped modestly. What has changed is how much room buyers have to negotiate, and that room isn't spread evenly. Prince George's, Frederick, and DC show the widest gaps between DOM and CDOM, along with the highest supply. That means buyers there have more room to ask for repairs, credits, or better terms, especially on a home that's been relisted. Howard County and Northern Virginia offer far less of that room, since homes there are selling close to their original asking price with little sign of repricing.

What Sellers Should Take From This

Getting the price right matters more than it has in years. The counties with the smallest gap between DOM and CDOM, Howard, Northern Virginia, and Montgomery, are also the counties where prices grew the most or homes sold the fastest. That's not a coincidence. A home priced correctly from the start avoids the relisting penalty and tends to sell closer to its original asking price.

In markets with rising supply, especially Prince George's and DC, how a home is prepared and marketed matters more than it did during the fastest years of the pandemic market. A home that shows well and is priced against this year's sales, not last year's, is still very likely to sell.

So, What Does All of This Mean for You?

The market is not broken. It is just asking for more care than it used to.

Prices are still climbing in most of the region. Supply remains tight in several counties. And the numbers on relisting and time on market give both buyers and sellers real tools for making smarter decisions, instead of just reacting to a single headline price.

If you are thinking about buying or selling, reach out. I can walk you through what these numbers mean for your specific neighborhood and help you build a plan around them.