Monthly Housing Market Snapshot: December 2025 Trends (Northern Virginia & DC Metro)
December is a “reporting month” for November closings—so the freshest complete local read on the market is November 2025 activity, published in December. Here’s what the data says about sales, prices, inventory, and market speed across Northern Virginia (NVAR footprint) and the broader Washington, D.C. metro / Mid-Atlantic.
Northern Virginia (NVAR region): Inventory is finally loosening, but prices are still rising
Headline: More homes for sale + slower pace = a more balanced feel, even as prices keep climbing.
Key November 2025 metrics (reported Dec 11)
| Metric | Latest | YoY change |
|---|---|---|
| Closed sales | 1,091 | -6.6% |
| Median sold price | $740,000 | +5.7% |
| Active listings | 2,042 | +45.1% |
| Avg. days on market | 29 days | +31.8% |
| Months of supply | 1.48 | +41.2% |
| New pending sales | 1,091 | +0.7% |
What it means (plain English)
- Buyers have more choices than they’ve had in years (active listings up ~45%). That tends to reduce “panic offers” and increase negotiation room.
- Sellers are still seeing strong pricing (median up ~6% YoY), but homes are taking longer to move—a sign the market is shifting from “sprint” toward “normal.”
- Demand hasn’t collapsed: pending sales were slightly higher YoY, suggesting buyers are still engaging when the math works.
DC Metro & Mid-Atlantic (Bright MLS): Caution rules, inventory is rising mostly because homes take longer to sell
Bright MLS’s November 2025 report shows slower sales and higher inventory across the broader region, with meaningful variation by submarket.
Mid-Atlantic (Bright MLS service area) — November 2025
- Active listings: 43,026, up 19.7% YoY
- New listings: down 4.4% YoY (fewer new sellers, but inventory still grows because properties sit longer)
- Market pace: median days on market = 20 (about a week slower than last year)
- Sales: closed sales down year-over-year (report notes continued buyer/seller caution)
Washington, D.C. Metro highlights (from Bright)
- Inventory: 9,142 homes for sale, +33.7% YoY
- Median sold price: $630,000, +5.0% YoY
- Closed sales: -6.4% YoY; new pending contracts: -4.8% YoY
- Bright notes stronger conditions in Northern Virginia vs. weaker pockets in D.C. proper and some Maryland suburbs.
Mortgage rates: A little relief, but affordability still tight
As of Dec 11, 2025, Freddie Mac’s weekly survey shows:
- 30-year fixed: 6.22% (vs 6.60% a year earlier)
This “low-6%” range helps, but it hasn’t sparked a full rebound—many households remain payment-sensitive, which shows up in softer sales and longer days on market.
The quick read: December 2025 trendline you can publish
Northern Virginia’s story:
Inventory is rising fast (+45% active listings YoY) and market time is lengthening, but prices are still climbing and pending sales are holding up—classic signs of a market moving toward balance, not a crash.
DC Metro’s story:
Inventory is up big (Bright shows +33.7% YoY for the metro), while sales and pendings are softer—buyers and sellers are acting cautiously, and transactions are happening when value/pricing aligns.
What to watch in the next release (January’s report on December closings)
- Does inventory keep rising even during winter seasonality? (If yes, negotiation leverage increases.)
- Pending sales direction: the cleanest “forward-looking” signal.
- Days on market + price reductions: a tell for how quickly sellers are adjusting expectations.
Reviewed by Aparna Decors
on
December 17, 2025
Rating:
