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Home-shopping activity picked up across the Washington, D.C., region and the broader Mid-Atlantic during the week ending Jan. 18, 2026, as lower mortgage rates, expanding inventory and softer prices drew more prospective buyers into the market.
The median Mid-Atlantic 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.
Only three subregions recorded annual increases in median list prices: the Philadelphia metropolitan area, Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the Maryland-West Virginia Panhandle.
Buyers scheduled 73,707 showings during the week, an 8.9% increase from a year earlier. Mortgage rates were nearly a full percentage point below their year-ago level, giving buyers more incentive to explore available homes.
Contract activity also improved after weaker results in recent weeks. The Mid-Atlantic recorded 4,727 new purchase contracts, up 5.5% from the corresponding week in 2025.
Most subregions posted gains, though the Philadelphia metropolitan area and the Delaware-Maryland coastal market recorded fewer new contracts than a year earlier.