Southern Maryland Housing Market Update — September 2026
More homes are available across Southern Maryland—but Calvert, St. Mary’s and Charles County are telling three different stories.
- Data
- Bright MLS Market Statistics Report
- Period
- September 2026 compared with September 2025
- Coverage
- Calvert, St. Mary’s and Charles Counties · residential, countywide
The Southern Maryland housing market continued to shift in September.
Compared with September 2025, active inventory increased in all three Southern Maryland counties. Buyers generally have more homes to consider, and sellers are facing more competition than they did a year ago.
But that doesn’t mean every county is behaving the same way.
In Calvert County, inventory jumped significantly while sales increased and prices held steady. In St. Mary’s County, closed sales fell sharply, yet the median sold price increased and homes that sold moved faster. In Charles County, inventory continued to build while sales declined slightly and homes took longer to sell.
For buyers and sellers, the takeaway isn’t simply that Southern Maryland is “slowing down.”
The market is becoming more selective—and what’s happening depends increasingly on where you are.
Southern Maryland at a Glance
| September 2026 | Calvert County | St. Mary’s County | Charles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| New listings | 194 | 157 | 383 |
| Active inventory | 396 | 350 | 817 |
| Closed sales | 97 | 90 | 179 |
| Median sold price | $475,000 | $425,000 | $459,900 |
| Days on market (DOM) | 33 | 29 | 44 |
| Cumulative days on market (CDOM) | 39 | 33 | 56 |
| Months of supply | 3.3 | 2.9 | 3.7 |
Source: Bright MLS Market Statistics Report, September 2026. Residential properties, countywide.
Calvert County: More Competition, but Buyers Are Still Buying
Sept. 2025 → Sept. 2026- Active inventory396from 293+35.2%
- Closed sales97from 89+9.0%
- Median sold price$475,000from $475,000No change
- DOM33from 22+11 days
Calvert County saw one of the clearest increases in available housing inventory.
There were 396 active homes at the end of September 2026, compared with 293 one year earlier—an increase of approximately 35%.
New listings also increased substantially, from 150 to 194, a 29% year-over-year increase.
Yet buyers didn’t disappear.
Closed sales increased from 89 to 97, up approximately 9%, while the median sold price remained exactly $475,000.
That combination matters.
More homes are competing for buyers, but demand was still sufficient to produce more closed sales than last September without pushing the median sold price lower.
Where sellers may be feeling the change most is time on market.
DOM increased from 22 days in September 2025 to 33 days in September 2026, while months of supply increased from 2.6 to 3.3 months.
What this means for Calvert County sellers
A year ago, sellers were competing against significantly fewer homes.
Today, buyers have more alternatives.
That makes pricing, presentation and positioning increasingly important. A home can still sell in this market, but sellers shouldn’t assume that simply putting a property on the market will create immediate urgency.
What this means for Calvert County buyers
More inventory means more choice and potentially less pressure to make a decision simply because there are few alternatives.
But September’s numbers don’t show a broad collapse in pricing. The county’s median sold price was unchanged from last September.
For buyers, this may be a better environment for comparison and negotiation, but the individual property’s condition, location, pricing and competition still matter.
St. Mary’s County: Fewer Sales, Higher Prices—and Faster Closings
Sept. 2025 → Sept. 2026- Active inventory350from 315+11.1%
- Closed sales90from 132−31.8%
- Median sold price$425,000from $407,450+4.3%
- DOM29from 40−11 days
St. Mary’s County produced the most unusual set of numbers this month.
Active inventory increased from 315 homes in September 2025 to 350 in September 2026, an increase of approximately 11%.
New listings were essentially unchanged: 159 last September versus 157 this September.
But closed sales fell considerably.
There were 90 closed sales in September 2026 compared with 132 one year earlier—a decline of nearly 32%.
Normally, that might suggest a straightforward cooling story.
The rest of the data says otherwise.
The median sold price increased from $407,450 to $425,000, approximately 4% higher than last September.
And homes that sold moved faster.
DOM decreased from 40 to 29 days, while CDOM declined from 46 to 33 days.
Months of supply remained relatively close to last year’s level, moving from 2.8 to 2.9 months.
What does that mean?
It means we shouldn’t try to summarize St. Mary’s County with a single statistic.
Transaction volume was substantially lower than a year ago, but the homes that did close weren’t necessarily showing signs of broad price weakness or longer marketing times.
For sellers, that reinforces the importance of understanding the specific competition surrounding your property, rather than making assumptions based solely on countywide sales volume.
For buyers, it means that increased inventory doesn’t automatically mean every desirable property will sit on the market.
And for households relocating to NAS Patuxent River and the Lexington Park/California area, understanding the differences between individual communities and neighborhoods remains especially important.
Explore our guide to living in Lexington Park and California, MarylandCharles County: More Inventory and More Time for Buyers
Sept. 2025 → Sept. 2026- Active inventory817from 714+14.4%
- Closed sales179from 192−6.8%
- Median sold price$459,900from $461,250−0.3%
- DOM44from 38+6 days
Charles County continues to offer the largest pool of available homes among the three Southern Maryland counties.
Active inventory increased from 714 homes in September 2025 to 817 in September 2026, approximately 14% higher.
New listings also increased, from 345 to 383, an increase of approximately 11%.
At the same time, closed sales declined from 192 to 179, down approximately 7%.
Prices were essentially unchanged.
The median sold price moved from $461,250 last September to $459,900 this September, a difference of less than one percent.
But homes are taking longer to move through the market.
DOM increased from 38 to 44 days, while CDOM increased from 44 to 56 days.
Months of supply also increased from 3.4 to 3.7 months.
What this means for Charles County sellers
The combination of more listings, more inventory and longer market times means sellers need to pay close attention to competing properties.
The relevant question isn’t simply:
“What did the house down the street sell for six months ago?”
It’s also:
“What can a buyer choose instead of my home today?”
That’s increasingly important in a market where buyers have more options.
What this means for Charles County buyers
More inventory and longer marketing times can create more room to evaluate options.
That doesn’t guarantee that every seller will negotiate or that every property is overpriced.
But compared with a market characterized by extremely limited inventory, buyers may have more opportunity to compare homes and make a decision based on the individual property rather than scarcity alone.
One Region. Three Different Markets.
Looking at Southern Maryland as a whole can hide what’s happening inside each county.
Calvert County
Calvert County has substantially more inventory, but sales increased and prices held.
St. Mary’s County
St. Mary’s County had significantly fewer closed sales, but prices increased and homes that sold moved faster.
Charles County
Charles County has more inventory, fewer sales and longer marketing times, while prices remained nearly flat.
That’s why broad headlines like “the market is up” or “the market is down” aren’t particularly useful to someone making an actual real estate decision.
What matters is your county, your price range, your property type and your competition.
The Bigger Shift: Buyers Have More Choices
There is one trend that does connect all three counties.
Inventory is higher than it was a year ago.
| Active inventory | Sep. 2025 | Sep. 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calvert County | 293 | 396 | +35.2% |
| St. Mary’s County | 315 | 350 | +11.1% |
| Charles County | 714 | 817 | +14.4% |
That matters because inventory changes the relationship between buyers and sellers.
When there are very few homes available, buyers may have to compromise quickly.
As inventory expands, they can compare.
They can evaluate condition.
They can notice an overpriced property.
They can choose the home that presents the strongest combination of price, condition, location and value.
For sellers, that means marketing strategy becomes more important—not less.
Selling in Southern Maryland This Fall?
The September numbers reinforce something we’ve been seeing across the market:
Simply being listed isn’t the same as being positioned to sell.
When buyers have more choices, the first weeks on the market matter.
Pricing needs to reflect today’s competition—not the market from a year or two ago.
Presentation needs to give buyers a reason to choose your property over another.
And when the market responds differently than expected, the strategy may need to change.
That doesn’t mean sellers should automatically reduce their price.
It means the listing strategy should be based on what buyers are actually doing now.
Buying in Southern Maryland?
For buyers, increased inventory can be welcome.
More choices may give you time to compare properties, evaluate neighborhoods and understand what represents value in your particular part of Southern Maryland.
But don’t confuse more inventory with falling prices everywhere.
In September, the median sold price was unchanged year over year in Calvert County, higher in St. Mary’s County and essentially flat in Charles County.
The opportunity for buyers may be less about waiting for prices to fall and more about having more choices—and potentially more negotiating room on the right property.
What Should You Do Next?
Real estate statistics are useful because they show us where the market has been.
Your decision depends on what is happening around your specific home or home search right now.
If you’re considering selling, we can look at your property’s current competition, recent sales and positioning before determining a strategy.
If you’re buying, we can help you understand how inventory, pricing and negotiating conditions differ across Calvert, St. Mary’s and Charles Counties.
Southern Maryland isn’t one housing market. It’s a collection of local markets—and right now, those differences matter.
Market statistics are based on Bright MLS residential Market Statistics Reports for September 2025 and September 2026 for Calvert, St. Mary’s and Charles Counties. Countywide statistics can include different property types, locations and price ranges and should not be interpreted as a valuation or prediction for an individual property.