Dan Wheeler Sells Homes

11/04/2026

DC's median asking price is down 10.4% from a year ago. Is DC really 10% cheaper? Not so fast.

Price per square foot, the number that actually compares one house to another:

- DC: $483/sq ft, -1.2%
- Anne Arundel: $266, -0.7%
- Montgomery: $302, -4.1%
- Prince George's: $240, -4.4%
- Harford: $205, -5.1%
- Charles: $207, +1.0%

Much of DC's drop looks like smaller homes making up more of the listings, not sellers slashing prices. Montgomery, Prince George's and Harford show the real asking-price softness.

My advice: compare price per foot in your neighborhood, then offer from recent closed sales.

Full breakdown on the blog:
https://www.danwheelersellshomes.com/dc-maryland-housing-market-price-per-square-foot/

DC and Maryland housing market: DC asking prices fell 10.4%, but price per square foot fell just 1.2%. See county data for DC, MD and what to do.

11/02/2026

Washington-area home prices just hit a record. And sellers are cutting anyway.

Case-Shiller (closed sales) was up 2.2% in August. But September listing data tells a different story:

- Anne Arundel: 50.5% of listings have a price cut
- Harford: 45.7%
- Montgomery: 40.9%
- Charles: 38.9%
- Prince George's: 38.3%
- DC: 28.1%

Asking prices are lower than a year ago in DC (-10.4%), Montgomery (-8.0%) and most Maryland counties, and active listings are up 9% to 23% outside DC.

My advice: ignore the asking price. Pull the last 90 days of closed sales near the house and price or offer from there.

Full breakdown on the blog:
https://www.danwheelersellshomes.com/dc-maryland-housing-market-home-prices-record/

DC and Maryland housing market: Case-Shiller prices hit a record, yet up to 50% of listings cut price. See county data for DC, MD and what to do.

10/31/2026

Mortgage rates slipped again: 7.24% this week (7.32% last week, 6.17% a year ago).

What that gap costs on the median list price, 10% down, versus last year's rate:

- Montgomery: +$383/mo
- DC: +$337/mo
- Anne Arundel: +$335/mo
- Charles: +$303/mo
- Prince George's: +$287/mo
- Harford: +$268/mo

And sellers aren't rushing in. September new listings across these six markets were up just 1% from last year.

My advice: ask your lender for your payment at today's rate and one point lower, and only shop where today's rate works.

Full breakdown on my website: DanWheelerSellsHomes dot com

10/30/2026

The Fed held rates yesterday. Two voters wanted to RAISE them.

Freddie Mac's 30-year rate was 7.32% last week (6.19% a year ago). Here's what a half-point increase (to 7.82%) adds to the monthly payment on the median list price, 10% down:

- Montgomery: +$185/mo
- DC: +$163/mo
- Anne Arundel: +$162/mo
- Charles: +$147/mo
- Prince George's: +$139/mo
- Harford: +$130/mo

I can't predict rates. But I can tell you this: if the payment only works at today's rate, it's too tight.

My advice: ask your lender to run your numbers at today's rate and one half-point higher.

Full breakdown on my website: DanWheelerSellsHomes dot com

10/29/2026

Homes are sitting longer. And sellers are blinking.

September data for DC and Maryland (Realtor dot com):

- Anne Arundel: 50.5% of listings have a price cut (41.5% a year ago)
- Montgomery: listings +22.7%, days on market 34 to 40
- Prince George's: listings +18.6%, days on market 43 to 48
- Harford: listings +23.4%
- Charles: listings +9.1%
- DC: 58 days on market vs. 52

More choices for buyers. Less room for sellers to price on hope.

My advice: before you list or offer, look at the price-reduced homes within a mile. That's your real market.

Full breakdown on my website: DanWheelerSellsHomes dot com

10/28/2026

Prices fell. Your payment didn't.

The Fed meets today and tomorrow. Here's what 7.32% mortgage rates (vs. 6.19% a year ago) are doing to the monthly payment on the median list price, 10% down:

- Washington, DC: +$18 (list price -10.4%)
- Montgomery: +$120 (-8.0%)
- Prince George's: +$181 (-4.8%)
- Anne Arundel: +$234 (-4.0%)
- Harford: +$210 (-3.1%)
- Charles: +$321 (flat)

A 12% higher payment needs an ~11% price drop to break even. Only DC got close.

My advice: skip the guessing game on rates. Get a payment estimate at today's rate before you tour.

Full breakdown on my website: DanWheelerSellsHomes dot com

10/27/2026

Thinking about pulling your house off the market for the winter? Read this first.

Last winter, active listings in DC and our Maryland counties dropped 28.6% from October to February. Less competition. But homes also sat longer: +23 days in Montgomery, +25 in Harford, +22 in Charles, +25 in DC.

Right now, price cuts are everywhere:
- Anne Arundel: 50.5% of listings
- Harford: 45.7%
- Montgomery: 40.9%
- Charles: 38.9%
- Prince George's: 38.3%
- DC: 28.1%

My take: if your price is right, winter can work in your favor. If it isn't, spring won't fix it. It'll just give buyers more homes to compare yours to.

Full breakdown on my website: DanWheelerSellsHomes dot com

10/26/2026

Buyers hit pause. Rates just blinked.

Signed contracts just hit the lowest level NAR has ever recorded, down 11.3% from last year. Here at home, September pending sales fell:
- Harford: -21.0%
- Charles: -20.1%
- Montgomery: -17.7%
- DC metro: -17.1%
- Prince George's: -16.4%
- Anne Arundel: -12.3%

Why? The 30-year rate jumped from 6.65% in August to 7.40%. On a $450,000 Prince George's home with 10% down, that's about $180 more a month.

The good news: Freddie Mac says rates dipped to 7.32% this week, the first drop since August. Prices are mostly holding. Fewer buyers means more room to negotiate, but that window won't stay open forever.

Full breakdown on my website: DanWheelerSellsHomes dot com

10/23/2026

"Down payment assistance" sounds like free money. It isn't, and the math matters.

From the Maryland Mortgage Program's Oct. 21 rate sheet, on a $435,000 loan:
- No assistance: 7.375%, $3,004/month
- 5% assistance ($21,750): 8.000%, $3,192/month, +$187 every month
- Break-even: about 9.7 years, and the $21,750 is still owed when you sell or refinance

The best deal on the sheet: First Homes for teachers and first responders, the same 5% help for about $37 more a month.

In DC, HPAP offers up to $202,000 + $4,000, and FY2027 funds opened Oct. 1. In Montgomery County, the $50K MHP program shows only a partial reservation left.

Full breakdown on my website: DanWheelerSellsHomes dot com

10/21/2026

Montgomery County has permitted just 222 backyard and basement apartments (ADUs) since 2019. 🏡

Now the County Council wants to make them easier to rent, and County Executive Elrich says he'll veto it. The committee takes it up Monday, Oct. 26.

The math nobody's talking about:
• Building a detached ADU in MoCo: about $300,000
• County permit + license fees: about $3,950 (1.3% of the build)
• Financing $300K at 7.40%: about $2,077/month in principal and interest
• Charles County's new ADU law: fewer than a dozen applications so far

Fees aren't the bottleneck. Financing is.

Thinking of buying a home with an in-law suite or rental unit? Full breakdown on my website: DanWheelerSellsHomes dot com