As of September 2026, the Washington DC luxury market is active but selective: the top 5 percent of DC-area sales start at $1.9 million, and Georgetown’s median sale price is $1.70 million. A guide to neighborhoods, prices and what buyers should know.

Washington DC's record $680,000 median sale price in May 2026 measures scarcity more than strength, argues Marc Cashin of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney. Much of the high end runs on money from outside the region, while move-up buyers in Bethesda and McLean stay locked in place. The fix is building new housing.

Washington DC housing permits fell from 25,899 units in 2021 to 13,589 in 2025, and the District permitted just 1,372 multifamily units last year. Marc Cashin of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney explains how rate lock and missing starter homes are shrinking the pool of buyers across DC, Arlington and the region.

32% of luxury home sales in the DC area closed all cash last quarter, against 17% of the market overall. Marc Cashin of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney explains why many of those buyers, from contracting principals to diplomats and private equity partners, are invisible to AI models and public data until after they close.

Yes, for now. In July 2026 the T3 Home Demand Index put DC Metro luxury condos at 109 and luxury single-family at 96, a 13-point spread. Marc Cashin of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney explains why condo buyers in the West End, Dupont Circle and Capitol Hill are still acting, and where single-family sellers are losing leverage.

Is the DC housing market softening? Marc Cashin of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney says no. The T3 Home Demand Index fell to 85 in July 2026 from an unusually high 99 a year earlier, but DC home sales are up 10.3% and homes average 49 days on market. That is normalization, and a window for buyers.

Prime Washington DC real estate trades at a steep discount to London, Paris, Singapore and other world capitals on price per square foot. Marc Cashin of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney explains why the $2M to $5M segment in Georgetown, Kalorama, McLean, Chevy Chase, Bethesda and Old Town Alexandria still offers unusual value.

Is the DC housing market crashing? No. One in four DMV contracts fell through in Q1 2026, the highest rate since 2021, and inventory is up, but premium homes in Georgetown, McLean, Bethesda and Chevy Chase are still selling. Marc Cashin of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney explains why this is a correction, not a crash.

The DC housing market entered spring 2026 more disciplined, not weaker. Homes going under contract in Washington averaged 87 days on market, up from 85 a year earlier. Marc Cashin of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney explains why buyers now have room to negotiate and why sellers need precise pricing and preparation.

Is the housing market slowing or still rising? Both, says Marc Cashin of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney. The market has split into two speeds: well priced homes in strong Washington DC submarkets still draw competing offers, while misaligned listings sit longer as rate lock keeps inventory tight and buyers grow more selective.

Washington's housing market isn't broken. It's frozen. Marc Cashin of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney explains why DC inventory stays tight, why homeowners are holding, and why mobility will return in waves, not gradually.