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The Mid-Atlantic housing market entered 2026 with more homes for sale and slightly lower asking prices, but buyer activity fell to its lowest level in at least five years.
During the week ending Jan. 4, 3,028 new contracts were recorded, down 2% from the same week in 2025. Lower mortgage rates and slower price growth were not enough to draw more buyers into some markets.
Central Pennsylvania, the Maryland-West Virginia Panhandle and the Delaware-Maryland coastal region experienced particularly significant declines in new contracts.
Meanwhile, active inventory across the Mid-Atlantic reached 34,398 listings, an 11.4% increase from a year earlier. Supply had risen throughout 2025 across every subregion, and those gains continued into the new year.
The median list price was $399,995, down 1.7% from the comparable week in 2025. Asking-price growth has slowed, with many local markets beginning January below their year-earlier levels.