Published October 1, 2026 in Market Update

Washington DC prices are splitting by area

One number does not describe Washington DC right now. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted homes selling at $1,535,000 in one part of the city and $399,900 in another, in the same three months ending July 31, 2026. Your pricing, your budget and your timing all depend on which part you are in.

The metro number is not your number

Realtor.com put the Washington-area median home price at $572,150 in September 2026. That figure sits in the middle of a very wide range. Some DC ZIP codes are far above it. Some are well below it. Knowing the metro number alone can lead you to the wrong price.

Where prices are highest

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median sale price of $1,535,000 in ZIP 20015 for the three months ending July 31, 2026. That is up 9.6% from the same months a year earlier. ZIP 20016 came in at $1,407,500, up 12.5% year over year. Both are more than double the metro median.

In ZIP 20015, about half of all homes went under contract within two weeks of listing, the Real Estate Data Aggregator found. That share was 50.9%. Sellers there are still getting above list price: the average sale came in at 101.3% of asking.

ZIP 20016 moved faster. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 146 homes sold there, up 37.7% from the same period a year earlier. Days on market fell by 8 days to 33. Not every home sold above list, but 28.1% did, up 11.1 points from a year before.

Where prices have dropped the most

The picture is very different in parts of Southwest DC. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found the median sale price in ZIP 20024 fell 34.2% from a year earlier, landing at $399,900. Homes there sat on the market for a median of 96 days. Supply climbed to 9.3 months, up 3 months from a year before.

ZIP 20036 also slipped. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put its median sale price at $346,250, down 20.2% from a year earlier. ZIP 20037 fell 11.8% to $480,000, and days on market there stretched to 74, up 27 days from a year before. These are real declines, not rounding.

The middle of the market

Several ZIP codes sit in a calmer middle range. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median sale price of $985,000 in ZIP 20003, up 1.8% from a year earlier. Buyers there paid an average of 102% of list, the highest sale-to-list ratio in this data. ZIP 20001 came in at $785,000, up 6.8%, with 148 homes sold, up 19.4%.

ZIP 20010 showed one of the sharpest improvements. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found days on market fell 19 days to 44, and the share of homes going under contract within two weeks jumped 14.7 points to 42.3%. Prices rose 11.4% to $790,500. That is a ZIP that moved in a better direction over the year.

Speed varies just as much as price

How fast a home sells depends heavily on where it is. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found ZIP 20015 at 31 median days on market and ZIP 20024 at 96. That is a 65-day gap inside the same city, in the same period.

Rates are adding pressure across the board

This split is happening while borrowing costs are high. CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 7.30% in the week ending September 30, 2026. Realtor.com noted rates topped 7% in September 2026 for the first time since January 2025. Higher rates slow buyers down in every ZIP code.

Realtor.com also reported that 20.8% of listings nationwide had price reductions in September 2026, the highest share since October 2022. That is a national figure, not a DC-only one. But it matches what the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows in the softer parts of Washington DC.

For renters in the wider metro, Realtor.com reported the median asking rent in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area was $2,283 in August 2026, down 2.1% from a year earlier. Rents slipping while for-sale prices split sharply by ZIP code tells you the two markets are moving in different directions right now.

What this means for owners and buyers

If you own in ZIP 20015 or 20016, prices rose and homes moved quickly. The data supports a confident list price. If you own in ZIP 20024 or 20037, the market shifted against sellers over the past year. Pricing to the current reality matters more than ever.

If you are buying, the ZIP code shapes your budget and your timeline more than the metro average does. A buyer in 20009 faced 54 median days on market and a $657,500 median price. A buyer in 20015 faced 31 days and $1,535,000. Same city, very different experience.