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Prototype of a planned home-buying brokerage for the 50 largest U.S. cities. Not a licensed brokerage in any state, and no brokerage services are offered. Listings, people and companies are sample data; market statistics are real public data, cited where shown.

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Trends · District of Columbia

House prices and costs in Washington, DC

How house prices moved across 28 Washington ZIP codes, what buyers here borrowed and paid, what's new and how buying works in District of Columbia. Public data, with sources and dates. Past change, not a forecast.

Washington, DC-MD house prices -1.1% in the year to 2026 Q2 (FHFA, purchases)

7.03% is Freddie Mac's average 30-year fixed rate for the week of Sep 24, 2026, for buyers with 20% down and excellent credit. It isn't an offer or an APR.

How house prices moved in Washington, 2022–2025

Of 15 ZIPs with enough data, 4 rose 7% or more, 0 fell 7% or more and 11 moved less (no clear change). Past rankings are a weak guide: of the ZIPs in their city's top 3 for 2019–2022, 25 of 134 (about 1 in 5) were top 3 again for 2022–2025; chance alone would give about 21. Past change, not a forecast.

FHFA's experimental ZIP house price index: houses with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loans, from sales and refinance appraisals. Condos, co-ops and multi-unit buildings aren't in it. Tap a ZIP to see it on the map.

Largest house-price rises, 2022–2025

3-year change of the ZIP index; ZIPs with an index every year, 5,000+ residents and 1,000+ owner-occupied homes. Left out as too jumpy: a ZIP whose index rose 7% or more in one year and fell as much in another. Each year's change below.

  1. 1ZIP 200072023 +11.3% · 2024 +7.3% · 2025 -1.7%+17.4%
  2. 2ZIP 200162023 +8.7% · 2024 +7.6% · 2025 -2.7%+13.8%
  3. 3ZIP 20015 · includes Chevy Chase2023 +9.2% · 2024 +0.7% · 2025 0.0%+10.0%
  4. 4ZIP 20009 · includes Columbia Heights2023 -1.9% · 2024 +17.9% · 2025 -5.3%+9.5%

Largest house-price falls, 2022–2025

3-year change of the ZIP index; ZIPs with an index every year, 5,000+ residents and 1,000+ owner-occupied homes. Left out as too jumpy: a ZIP whose index rose 7% or more in one year and fell as much in another. Each year's change below.

No Washington ZIP's house prices fell 7% or more from 2022 to 2025.

Population grew most

Residents, 2015–2019 to 2020–2024 (Census ACS): only changes larger than the margin of error, in ZIPs with 1,000+ residents.

  1. 1ZIP 20003 · includes Capitol Hill37,482 residents+14.7%
  2. 2ZIP 20002 · includes Capitol Hill72,397 residents+6.9%

Public loan records · 2025

What buyers here actually borrowed and paid (2025)

2025 home-purchase loans (first liens) on owner-occupied 1–4 unit homes in Washington's census tracts: 4,713 loans. These are loans that closed in Washington, not offers: a rate depends on your credit, down payment, points and the day you lock it.

Interest rate, 30-year fixed (conventional)
6.125% to 6.75%Middle half of loans; median 6.5% · 3,131 loans
Loan costs at closing
$5,671 to $9,967Middle half; median $7,167. Origination charges (points included) and settlement services, Closing Disclosure section D · 3,998 loans
Borrowed, every loan on the home combined
80% of the value (median)Middle half 75% to 95%. 49.7% of buyers borrowed more than 80% of the value, 32.4% more than 90%, 19.1% more than 95%. HMDA's combined loan-to-value: every loan on the home (second loans, down-payment-assistance loans and financed FHA or VA fees too) ÷ the value the lender used, so it doesn't show the cash buyers put down · 4,572 loans
Loan types
Conventional 85.6% · FHA 6.3%VA 8.1% · USDA 0%
Discount points
40.7% of loans paid pointsMedian paid: $3,265. Points buy a lower rate.
Loan limits, 2026
$1,249,125 conformingAbove it, a jumbo loan with its own rates and rules; FHA limit $1,249,125 (one-unit home, District of Columbia)

For comparison: 7.03% is Freddie Mac's average 30-year fixed rate for the week of Sep 24, 2026, for buyers with 20% down and excellent credit. It isn't an offer or an APR. Source: FFIEC Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data: 2025 Snapshot National Loan-Level Dataset (data as of June 1, 2026), via the CFPB HMDA Data Browser; Homiy's calculations (2025 loans; retrieved 2026-09-27).

Research · dated and sourced

What's new in Washington

Rail openings, zoning changes and big projects from primary sources, newest first. Stars on the map mark the ones with a location. News, not a price forecast.

  1. Project

    Reservoir Park and recreation center open

    The former McMillan site gains public park and recreation space. The public opening is distinct from the timetable for surrounding private development.

    DC Mayor, Reservoir Park Recreation Center opening
  2. Rail opened

    Potomac Yard–VT station opens in Alexandria

    The regional Blue/Yellow Line infill station opens south of National Airport. The pin is its approximate Alexandria entrance, not a new station inside Washington, DC.

    Near ZIP 20032

    WMATA, Potomac Yard opening announcement

Metro area · public data

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

House prices, year to 2026 Q2
-1.1%FHFA purchase-only index for Washington, DC-MD
House prices, 5 years to 2026 Q2
+6.6%FHFA purchase-only index for Washington, DC-MD
House prices, 2025
+2.5%All sales and refinances, like the ZIP figures; 2022–2025: +6.3%
New homes permitted
3.4 per 1,000 residents21,974 homes · +11.5% vs a year earlier · Sep 2025–Aug 2026
Jobs, 12 months
-2.0%Aug 2026 (preliminary)
Population, July 2020 to July 2025
+3.3%6,465,724 residents in July 2025 (Census estimates)
Mortgage rate benchmark
7.03%Freddie Mac average, week of Sep 24, 2026

7.03% is Freddie Mac's average 30-year fixed rate for the week of Sep 24, 2026, for buyers with 20% down and excellent credit. It isn't an offer or an APR. New homes permitted is a supply signal: more permits per resident usually means more homes coming to market. Jobs, permits and population cover the whole metro.

Natural hazards, compared with other U.S. counties

  • District of Columbia, DC: expected yearly losses rated very high for winter weather; expected yearly losses rated relatively high for earthquake, hurricane, inland flooding, heat wave, hail.
    Other ratings for District of Columbia, DC
    • WildfireVery Low
    • Coastal floodingRelatively Moderate
    • TornadoRelatively Moderate

FEMA National Risk Index December 2025: Expected Annual Loss rating of each hazard, by county (NRI December 2025): expected annual losses to buildings, people and agriculture; FEMA's social-vulnerability adjustments aren't included. This describes each county, not this home. Check the address on FEMA's flood map; in a high-risk flood zone, a federally backed loan requires flood insurance.

Sources (11)

Research summary · not legal advice

How buying works in District of Columbia

The usual steps, deadlines and closing costs for a purchase in Washington, from state law, standard contract forms and local custom. Contracts can change any of it. Homiy is a prototype: it isn't a licensed brokerage in District of Columbia and offers no services here.

Who runs the closing
A title company runs the closing and holds the money. Typical time from contract to keys: about 30 days.
The contract
Your signed offer becomes a binding contract once the seller accepts it.
Details

GCAAR District of Columbia sales contract and jurisdictional addenda

Buyer agreement
DC written buyer brokerage agreement and agency disclosure, signed before touring.
Details

Homiy's prototype requires a written agreement before a represented tour. NAR's rule binds participating MLS brokers; do not describe it as a universal state law. Compensation is negotiable and total brokerage pay cannot exceed the agreement.

Source: NAR: written buyer agreements before touring (MLS participation rule, not a universal state statute) (reviewed 2026-09-27)

Inspection
About 10 days for inspections.
Details

Inspection and financing clauses depend on the regional form and elected addenda. 10 calendar days is a negotiable sample planning period, not a statutory deadline.

Earnest money
1–3% of the price, due within 3 days, held by: Named settlement/title escrow.
Details

Sample only: delivery within 3 calendar days and 1–3% earnest money; the signed contract controls. Buyer delivery is distinct from the holder's statutory deposit deadline.

Seller's disclosure
DC Seller's Disclosure Statement You may cancel within 5 days in some cases: Disclosure first delivered after buyer executes agreement: written termination within 5 calendar days after receipt; earlier settlement, occupancy or loan application accompanied by the lender's statutory waiver notice ends the right..
Details

Covered residential transfers require disclosure before or with the buyer's agreement. Statutory exemptions and separate condo/HOA documents need review.

Source: DC Code §42-1302: seller disclosure timing and termination (reviewed 2026-09-27)

Loan and appraisal
Loan contingency: 21 days (set in the contract).
Details

21-day financing period and the typical closing time are sample planning assumptions, not measured averages or legal rights. Financing and appraisal protection require the signed form/addenda; an appraisal shortfall is not automatically protected.

Title insurance
The buyer customarily pays for the owner's policy.
Details

Payer is a negotiable local custom, not a mandatory charge; obtain a title quote and follow the signed allocation. Filed insurer/rating-bureau rates are not a state-promulgated price.

Property tax for a new owner
Your property tax follows the county's assessed market value. About 0.85% of the price a year is our planning figure for Washington; your bill can differ.
Details

Residential Class1 rate applies to assessed value. Homestead deduction and the assessment-increase cap require qualification; do not inherit the seller's protected bill. Co-op tax allocation is in maintenance.

DC residential Class1A baseline$0.85/$100 assessment, before homestead deduction/credits. OTR also lists Class1B (≤2 dwellings):0.85% first$2.558M assessed and1% above; a single percentage cannot encode this higher-value marginal property-tax tier. Actual assessment, class and current threshold control. Co-op tax is in maintenance: suppress separate tax. HOA range and lender-title percentage are SAMPLE inputs.

Agent credits to the buyer
District of Columbia allows an agent to credit part of their pay to the buyer, with the lender's approval.
Details

No express consumer-rebate ban identified in the DC licensing statute; unlicensed brokerage payments and undisclosed compensation remain restricted. Low-confidence affirmative interpretation; legal/lender approval required before promising a credit.

Source: DC Code §47-2853.197: real estate license discipline (reviewed 2026-09-27)

Closing taxes

Closing taxes in Washington, who customarily pays and the rate
TaxCustomarily paid byRate
DC deed recordation taxBuyer1.1–1.45% of the price, by bracket (the whole amount)DC Code §42-1103: recordation tax and first-time buyer relief
DC transfer taxSeller1.1–1.45% of the price, by bracket (the whole amount)DC Code §47-903: transfer tax

Programs and after you buy

Down-payment help
DC Open Doors (DC Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA))Below-market first mortgages plus a deferred 0% loan for the minimum down payment, with no monthly payments.Official page, checked 2026-09-28.District of Columbia's housing finance agency runs it; the program decides who qualifies and for how much.
Down-payment help in Washington
Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) (DC Department of Housing and Community Development)Up to $202,000 in gap financing plus $4,000 toward closing costs for eligible buyers.Official page, checked 2026-09-28.
Homestead exemption
Real Property Tax Reliefs, Credits, and Deductions (DC Office of Tax and Revenue)The Homestead Deduction reduces an owner-occupied principal residence's assessed value by $91,950 for tax year 2026; it needs an application on file with the Office of Tax and Revenue.Deadline: October 1–March 31 for the full year; April 1–September 30 for halfOfficial page, checked 2026-09-28.
If you disagree with your assessment
Real Property Assessment Appeal Rights & Application (DC Office of Tax and Revenue)Appeals start at the first level with the Assessment Division; new owners may, in most cases, petition for an administrative review within 45 days of the purchase date.When: 45 days after your purchase (new owners)Official page, checked 2026-09-28.
After you buy: alerts on your deed
We found no county alert service for documents recorded on your home. Where we looked: DC Office of Tax and Revenue Recorder of Deeds service pages and web searches.Checked 2026-09-28.
Sources (9)

Methodology

How we measure, and what it isn't

Past change, not a forecast. These figures describe the past from public data; they don't tell you where prices go next.

House prices by ZIP, and the rankings

FHFA's experimental ZIP house price index: houses with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loans, from sales and refinance appraisals. Condos, co-ops and multi-unit buildings aren't in it. It's built from repeat sales and refinance appraisals of the same homes, not average sale prices, and FHFA publishes no margin of error for it. We rank ZIPs by the change over the last 3 years, only where FHFA published the index in every one of them, and only ZIPs with 5,000+ residents and 1,000+ owner-occupied homes. A change smaller than 7% either way is “no clear change”: in our 50 cities, the index's own year-to-year swings suggest sampling alone can move a three-year change about that much. A ZIP whose index rose 7% or more in one year and fell as much in another is left out as too jumpy. We show rises and falls, each year's change, and the city's and metro's figures for the same years. Past rankings are a weak guide: of the ZIPs in their city's top 3 for 2019–2022, 25 of 134 (about 1 in 5) were top 3 again for 2022–2025; chance alone would give about 21. Many ZIPs, especially dense ones, have no index.

City and metro price figures

City: the resident-weighted average of its ZIPs that have an index (the ZIP card says when that's only part of the city). Metro: FHFA's all-transactions index over the same calendar years, the ZIPs' method; the metro card also shows FHFA's purchase-only index for the latest quarter against a year and five years earlier. Where FHFA splits a metro into divisions (New York, Miami, Detroit and others), the division's index, named where it's shown. Jobs, permits and population always cover the whole metro.

Payment ÷ income

Monthly housing payment (est.) on a house at the ZIP's median value: 20% down · 30-year fixed at 7.03% (Freddie Mac average) · 360 monthly loan payments · APR not calculated (it depends on the lender's fees) · includes principal and interest, property tax, home insurance and any HOA dues, plus mortgage insurance below 20% down. Property tax uses Washington's rule for a new buyer (about 0.85% of the price a year, our planning figure); insurance is a typical premium. Not included: upkeep, utilities, flood insurance, special assessments. Divided by a month of the ZIP's median household income. The Census reports values over $2 million and incomes over $250,000 only as “or more”, so those shares are bounds (“at least”, “at most”). Left out where 50% or more of owner-occupied homes are in buildings with 5+ units: their HOA dues or co-op charges aren't in the payment. It combines two estimates, so no margin is computed. 7.03% is Freddie Mac's average 30-year fixed rate for the week of Sep 24, 2026, for buyers with 20% down and excellent credit. It isn't an offer or an APR.

Census figures and margins of error

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024: the median value owners report for their homes (it lags sale prices; co-op owners report the value of their shares), median rent with utilities, median household income, residents, and the property tax and monthly costs owners report. Each comes with its 90% margin of error (±). Figures whose margin is 20–49% of the estimate are marked “less reliable” and left out of rankings and tags; figures with wider margins aren't shown. A population change (from 2015–2019) is shown only when it passes the Census Bureau's 90% significance test; otherwise it says “no clear change”. Washington's own figures come from the Census's estimates for the city itself where published; otherwise they blend its ZIPs (no margin computed). Lists leave out ZIPs with fewer than 1,000 residents.

Tags

Lower home values:
The median value owners report is in the lowest quarter of the city's ZIPs (Census ACS). Less reliable estimates and ZIPs where most owners live in condos or co-ops aren't compared.
Population grew:
Residents rose 5% or more between the two latest five-year Census surveys, by more than the margin of error.
Mostly condos or co-ops:
Half or more of owner-occupied homes are in buildings with 5 or more units. Values there leave out HOA dues and co-op charges, so they aren't ranked.
New rail nearby:
A rail station opened within about a mile in 2023–2026.

“New rail nearby” uses our dated news pins: a ZIP whose center is within 1,600 m of a station that opened, plus the ZIP the station sits in. No tag describes price momentum.

Hazards and flood insurance

FEMA's National Risk Index rates each county's expected yearly losses from each hazard against all U.S. counties; we show those Expected Annual Loss ratings for every county the city lies in, without FEMA's social-vulnerability adjustments. They describe counties, not homes. Flood insurance counts are policies and claims in the federal program (NFIP) only. Check an address's flood zone on FEMA's flood map.

What buyers borrowed and paid

Public HMDA loan records: home-purchase first liens on owner-occupied 1–4 unit homes in the city (the card names the area covered), with the number of loans behind each figure. Loans that closed, not offers or quotes.

Neutral by design

We describe prices, payments, population counts, construction and rail lines. We don't describe places by who lives there, schools or crime, and we don't call areas “up-and-coming”, “transitional” or “safe”. Choose where to live for your own reasons.

Sources and dates