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Home shoppers showed renewed interest across the Mid-Atlantic during the week ending Jan. 18, 2026, as asking prices eased, mortgage rates declined and more properties reached the market.
The region’s median list price fell to $404,900, down 1.2% from the same week in 2025. It was the first year-over-year decline in years across the Bright MLS service area, reflecting a broader slowdown in home-price growth.
Only three subregions recorded higher median list prices than a year earlier: the Philadelphia metropolitan area, Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the Maryland-West Virginia Panhandle.
Buyer activity moved in the opposite direction. The service area recorded 73,707 property showings during the week, an 8.9% increase from the comparable period last year. Mortgage rates were nearly a full percentage point lower, while buyers also encountered greater supply and softer price growth.
New purchase contracts climbed as well. Buyers signed 4,727 contracts across the Mid-Atlantic, up 5.5% year over year and marking an improvement from recent weeks.
Most subregions shared in the contract rebound, although the Philadelphia metropolitan area and the Delaware-Maryland coastal market posted declines from the same week in 2025.