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Fairfax County’s housing market barely moved in 2025, with sales slipping by just seven properties even as the average price rose 3%.
A total of 11,780 residential properties closed countywide, down 0.1% from 11,787 in 2024. The figures cover single-family homes, townhouses, rowhouses and condominiums.
The average sales price reached $883,520, but Fairfax County’s overall performance trailed the growth recorded across much of Northern Virginia.
Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist for Bright MLS, said buyers have more homes to consider than they have had in years and that substantial pent-up demand remains. Still, affordability continues to constrain the market despite declining mortgage rates, especially for first-time buyers.
Sturtevant said sellers should prepare for buyers to gain leverage, price growth to weaken further and some local markets to experience price reductions.
Northern Virginia markets split sharply
Northern Virginia recorded about 26,696 sales in 2025, a 1% increase, but results varied widely among localities.
Loudoun County sales climbed 5.8% to 5,332, while Arlington County rose 5.4% to 2,315. Fairfax City recorded 357 sales, a 19.8% increase, and Falls Church jumped 30.5% to 171.
Prince William County moved in the opposite direction, with sales falling 5.6% to 5,005.
Falls Church had the highest average sales price in the Mid-Atlantic region. Its average declined 2.3% from 2024 to $1,084,584 but remained the only million-dollar average among the jurisdictions.
Arlington’s average increased 3.3% to $928,998. Alexandria rose 5.3% to $818,871, while Fairfax City posted a 6.8% gain to $838,797.
Fairfax County finished the year softly, with December transactions falling 1.8% to 830. Fairfax City recorded 30 sales that month, up 50% from the previous December.
Regional prices rise as homes take longer to sell
Across the Washington region, 49,408 homes sold in 2025, down 1.1% from 49,942. Loudoun and Arlington counties gained sales, while Prince George’s County experienced a significant decline.
The regional price rose 3.6% to $627,000. Sellers also waited longer to secure ratified contracts, with the median time increasing from nine days to 14.
Buyer activity softened slightly. The region logged 1.06 million home showings during the year, down 2.9% from 1.09 million in 2024.
Those regional figures cover the District; Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties; the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax; and Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick counties in Maryland.
Across the broader Mid-Atlantic market, 235,565 homes sold in 2025, an increase of just 0.1%. The median sales price rose 3.6% to about $425,000.
December sales increased 3.8% year over year across the Mid-Atlantic, but the late boost could not overcome sluggish activity during much of 2025. Price growth was weaker in areas where inventory expanded rapidly, including the Delaware-Maryland coastal market and suburban Maryland.
The year-end and December figures are preliminary, may be revised and do not include every home offered for sale.