Happy Monday morning, and I hope you are excited for the week ahead!

I hope you have enjoyed the start of summer... with all of the turbulent weather... extreme heat... now lots of rain... and somehow, mild temps and no rain during the delightful Red Wing Roots Music Festival!  

My family had a lovely time at Red Wing and I enjoyed seeing many of you there as well.  If you didn't make it this year, I'll remind you about it again next year.  ;-)  

The Steel Wheels played Saturday night (as per the norm) and closed out their set with a heartwarming rendition of Red Wing, with their families on stage with them.  

Whether you were at Red Wing, or not, I hope the start to summer has been full of meaningful and enjoyable time with your family.

Before we take a look at the latest indicators in our local housing market, a few quick notes...

Each month I offer my readers a chance to win a gift card to a local coffee shop, restaurant or other fun destination.  This month you have the chance to win a $50 gift card to BMC Bakes, a gluten free bakery in downtown Harrisonburg.  Their baked goods are delightful, and you won't even miss the gluten!  Enter to win the gift card here.

For the past few months I have been telling you about my daily email newsletter with my thoughts, insights and commentary on buying and selling homes in Harrisonburg, the latest new developments, and more.  But... the link I was sending you all to be added to this daily list... didn't actually add you to the daily email list!?!  So, here's the new and improved link that will really get you on the daily email list: Subscribe to Harrisonburg Housing Today.

If you're thinking about buying or selling a home in Harrisonburg or Rockingham County, I'm happy to chat.  Reach out anytime by phone or text at 540-578-0102, or by email.

First, let's look at the overall market given that we're halfway through 2026.

The main takeaway from the first half of the year is that we're seeing more homes sell in 2026 than in 2025.  We'll look at a longer context in a bit to see how 2026 compares to a few prior years.

When it comes to sales prices... the overall market-wide median sales price is down 1%, but when we split it out between detached homes and attached homes I think we'll conclude that home prices aren't really down 1% over the past year... though we also won't conclude that prices are rising very quickly.

Let's jump to just the detached homes...

As shown above, we have seen a slight increase (2%) in the number of detached homes that are selling in the first half of 2026, but no the 10% increase of the overall market.  

Furthermore, the median sales price of detached homes has risen 2% over the past year -- from $389,900 in the first half of 2025 to $399,000 in the first half of 2026.

But what about those attached homes...

Here's where we see the big uptick in how many homes are selling.  After only 228 attached home sales in the first half of 2025 we saw a 25% increase to 284 attached sales in the first half of 2026.  

But... despite that increase in the number of attached homes that are selling, we actually saw a 2% decline in the median sales price of those homes.

The other interesting way to chop up the data is by new vs. resale homes.  Here's what we've seen in the new home sales market over the first half of the year...

Over the first half of the year we've seen a 10% increase in new homes selling... though a 5% decline in their median sales price.  You'll also note that the median sales price of new homes ($325K) is much closer to the median sales price of attached homes ($315K) than detached homes ($399K) which is because most of the new homes are townhomes.

Meanwhile... in the existing home sales market...

Over the first half of 2026 we have also seen a 10% increase in existing home sales... and their median sales price has increased 1%.

So, in summary...

1. We're seeing more homes selling.

2. The increase is more significant in attached homes.

3. Detached home prices are up slightly while attached prices are down slightly.

4. More new homes as well as existing homes are selling this year compared to last.

Now, let's get into some graphs that help further explain current dynamics in our local housing market...

Despite the overall increase in the number of homes that are selling in 2026... the month of June was actually a bit slower than last June.  Looking ahead, we're likely to also see fewer homes sell in July as compared to June.

Here's what that cumulative six months of sales looks like compared to prior years...

Compared to 2023, 2024 and 2025... this year is off to a faster start relative to the number of homes that are selling.  Perhaps we'll clear 1,400 home sales in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County this year.

Looking at detached homes, in a graph, here's what we find...

Here you can see that we have experienced relatively flat sales prices of detached homes over the past two years after rapid increases between 2019 and 2024.  After the median sales price increased from $240K to $388K in just five years... it has now only increased on $399K over the past two years.

And how about the median sales price of attached homes...

Detached homes also saw a rapid increase in median sales prices between 2019 ($175K) and this time 2023 ($299K) but since that time the median sales price has only been increasing very slowly to $315K.

In summary... median sales prices are still rising for most properties... but much more slowly over the past two to three years as compared to the five years prior to that.

To predict sales activity over the next few months its best to look at contract activity...

There were many fewer contracts signed in June as compared to May... which is the normal trend.  We then usually see contract activity start to tick back up in July and August.

And how about those inventory levels?

Inventory levels increased a bit (169 to 189) between the end of May and the end of June... just like we saw last year.  That said, inventory levels now (189) are still quite a bit lower than last year (234) at the same time of year.

We will likely see inventory levels creep up a bit more over the next month as more homeowners put their homes on the market.

Lastly, let's look at the latest on mortgage interest rates...

Mortgage interest rates have been hovering around 6.5% over the past two months... a bit higher than where they have been for most of the past eight months.  There aren't any current indications that mortgage interest rates will start declining measurably anytime soon.

So... what does all of this mean for you if you're hoping to buy a home or sell a home?

If you're buying - the market is still moving quickly, but you might have a few more options to choose from and more inventory is likely on the way over the next few months.

If you're selling - don't expect to sell your home for 10% more this year than last - price is realistically based on recent comparable sales, prepare it well and we'll market it thoroughly to attract the widest possible pool of buyers.

If you're thinking about buying, selling, or have other questions about the local real estate market... I'd be happy to chat. 

You can reach me by phone/text at 540-578-0102 or by email here.

I hope you have a wonderful week and that you find some time to rest, relax and be with family and friends this in the second half of the summer!