Bright MLS March 2026 Housing Market Report: Sellers return for spring, but rising rates and uncertainty create headwinds to the Mid-Atlantic market

New listings post strongest March since 2022

North Bethesda, Md., April 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Mid-Atlantic housing market showed signs of a spring thaw in March 2026 as more sellers entered the market and buyers became more active after a slow February. Across the Bright MLS service area, a total of 24,812 new listings came onto the market in March, the strongest March new listing total since 2022. New pending sales edged above last year’s level.

Even with stronger activity, the outlook for the spring housing market remains cautious. Homes are taking longer to sell, inventory is rising, and buyers and sellers are still navigating higher mortgage rates and broader economic uncertainty tied to the ongoing conflict with Iran.

"March brought some welcome momentum to the Mid-Atlantic housing market," said Bright MLS Chief Economist Lisa Sturtevant. "Compared to the sluggish activity in February, sellers were back into the market in much higher numbers. But that momentum is still fragile as mortgage rates have moved higher again and uncertainty remains elevated."

Key Facts – Mid Atlantic, March 2026

New listings: A total of 24,812 new listings came onto the market across the Bright MLS service area in March, the strongest March listing total since 2022 and a sign that more sellers are entering the market for the spring season.
Buyer activity: New pending sales rose slightly compared to March 2025 and increased significantly from February, suggesting buyers were more active as weather improved and rates eased early in the month.
Inventory: Because new listings outpaced new pending sales, the number of homes on the market at the end of March was 9.4% higher than a year ago, giving buyers somewhat more choice than they had last spring.
Home prices: The median sold price in the Mid-Atlantic was 3.7% higher than a year ago in March, with particularly strong price growth in the Baltimore metro area and the Maryland/West Virginia Panhandle.
Time on market: Homes took longer to sell in March, with the median days on market rising to 18 days, which was six days slower than a year earlier.

"The spring market has started to move, but it is still not operating at 100%," according to Sturtevant. "Rising mortgage rates and geopolitical uncertainty means the housing market is likely to remain uneven across the Mid-Atlantic this spring.”

Philadelphia Metro Overview

Sellers surged back into the Philadelphia metro market in March with 7,425 new listings, up 4.7% year-over-year and the highest March total since 2022.
Pending sales remained lower than a year ago, but new contracts rose 41.5% from February's disappointing level.
The median sold price rose to $385,000, up 4.6% year-over-year.
Inventory increased 8.9% from a year ago, though the total number of homes for sale remained less than half of pre-pandemic levels.
Homes took longer to sell, with median days on market at 19, five days slower than a year ago.
The uptick in listings is a positive sign for spring, but higher mortgage rates and broader uncertainty continue to weigh on the market.

Baltimore Metro Overview

Home prices in the Baltimore metro area rose faster than they have in more than a year, with the median sold price reaching $400,000 in March, up 5.3% year-over-year.
There were 3,163 new pending sales in March, a 2.3% increase from a year ago and a 37.3% jump from February.
New listing activity surged 55.3% between February and March, though March listings were still below last year's level.
Inventory was up 12.1% year-over-year, but active listings remained 40% below 2019 levels.
Homes stayed on the market longer, with median days on market at 17, five days slower than a year ago.
Lower rates early in March and better weather supported activity, but rising rates, low consumer confidence, and geopolitical uncertainty remain headwinds.

Washington, D.C., Metro Overview

Buyers were more active in the Washington, D.C., metro area in March, with new pending sales up 5.3% year-over-year and showing activity up 2.8%.
Sellers also began to re-engage. New listings were down 5.9% from a year ago, but listing activity surged 56.1% between February and March.
The median sold price was $635,000, up 1.6% year-over-year.
Price trends varied across the region, with prices rising in the District of Columbia and Suburban Maryland while falling in some Northern Virginia jurisdictions.
Homes continued to sell relatively quickly, with a median of 11 days on market, just three days slower than a year ago.
The D.C.-area market showed positive signs in March, but higher mortgage rates and ongoing economic and political uncertainty could still restrain the spring market.

The March data suggest that the spring housing market is finally gaining traction across the Mid-Atlantic, helped by improved weather and a temporary dip in mortgage rates early in the month. However, the recent run-up in rates and continued uncertainty around the conflict with Iran could limit how much momentum the market can sustain in the weeks ahead.

About Bright MLS
Bright MLS is the engine behind some of the most powerful and dynamic real estate markets in the country. As the largest multiple listing service in the United States, Bright empowers over 100,000 real estate professionals with real-time data, deep market intelligence, and the tools to serve more than half a million buyers and sellers each month across six states—Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia—and the District of Columbia. In 2025 alone, Bright powered more than 460,000 listings, far outpacing other large MLSs. Bright was built to lead. Backed by a nationally respected research team, Bright delivers trusted housing intelligence that powers decisions and best-in-class tools designed to push organized real estate forward, creating a more transparent, competitive, and informed marketplace. Bright Solutions, the company’s new suite of SaaS products, helps real estate professionals meet the challenges of a rapidly changing landscape. Learn more at BrightMLS.com.

Christy Reap
Bright MLS 
2023099362
christy.reap@brightmls.com

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