You’re Waiting for the Right Time to Move. Here’s What the Market Is Actually Telling You.

I’ve had some version of this conversation many times in the past year. Someone owns a home. It made sense when they bought it because it was the right size, the right location, the right price for that season of life. Then something has shifted. The family grew. The commute changed. The space that felt fine now feels like a source of daily friction. They know they need to move. But the economy feels uncertain, rates feel high, and so they wait.

Meanwhile, the market keeps moving without them.

Here’s what the data actually shows right now, because I think people deserve the honest version rather than either a panic narrative or an oversimplified “great time to buy” sales pitch.

The Metro DC market this week logged its 12th consecutive week with over 1,000 newly ratified contracts. This week’s total was 1,385 — essentially flat with last year, which is actually a sign of durability, not weakness. Year-to-date contract activity across the DMV is up 4.7%. Northern Virginia specifically is up 9.1% for the year. These are not the numbers of a market on the verge of a correction. They are the numbers of a market with consistent, durable demand.

At the same time, mortgage rates have come down from their recent highs and currently sit around 6.35%. That is not the 3% rate that defined 2020 and 2021, and it may never be again — but it is meaningfully better than where rates were a year ago, and the NAR forecast presented at this week’s Economic Summit points to continued gradual improvement through 2026. Waiting for rates to drop dramatically before moving is a gamble with no guaranteed payout, and it ignores the equity you’re leaving on the table in the meantime.

The harder question is the one most people don’t ask out loud: what is staying actually costing you? In terms of daily quality of life. A home that doesn’t fit your family creates a kind of low-grade stress that people adapt to so gradually they stop noticing it. Until they move and wonder why they waited so long.

I’m not going to tell you this is the perfect time to move. There is no perfect time in real estate. What I will tell you is that the conditions right now — your equity position, current rates, regional demand, and gradually increasing inventory — represent a window that is real and that won’t stay open indefinitely.

If you own a home in Northern Virginia and you’ve been going back and forth about whether to make a move, let’s have a straight conversation about what your options actually look like. Not a presentation. Not a pitch. Just an honest look at the numbers and what they mean for your specific situation.

You can reach me through the contact page on this site or connect with me directly on LinkedIn. OK, if you’ve read this far, I trust you to share my info (no bots allowed … let’s see if that anti-bot spell will work): Angie@AgentAngie.com to keep it most welcoming.