Frederick, MD Housing Market: Perception vs. Reality (September 2026)

Perception is loud. Reality is quieter.

If you only listened to headlines, neighbors and social media, you might think the Frederick housing market has either crashed or gone completely out of reach. On this week's episode of Real Talk Real Estate, Jay and Andy set the opinions aside and walk through what the numbers actually say about Frederick County over the past year.

Did Frederick home values go up or down?

The most common thing we hear right now is "prices are dropping." Listen to hear what the data shows for Frederick County:

Are more homes selling than last year?

Fewer listings doesn't automatically mean fewer sales. 

Are homes selling faster or slower?

Days on market is one of the best early signals of where a market is heading.

When homes sit longer, buyers gain room to negotiate on price, closing costs and repairs. When they move fast, a clean, well-priced first offer matters more than anything.

A five-year look at mortgage rates

To understand today's rates, it helps to zoom out. Five years ago, rates were near historic lows. They then climbed quickly and have been moving in a narrower range since. In the episode we look at that five-year trend and what it suggests for anyone deciding whether to wait or move now.

The short version is that waiting for rates to fall has a cost of its own. Prices, competition and your own life plans keep moving while you wait. The right decision depends on your monthly payment comfort, how long you plan to stay, and whether refinancing later is realistic for you.

What this means if you're buying or selling in Frederick

• Buyers: Get a lender pre-approval based on today's rate, not the rate you hope for. Look at the payment, not just the price.
• Sellers: Price from current sales data in your neighborhood, not from what a neighbor got two years ago.
• Everyone: Ask for real local numbers before making a big decision. National headlines rarely match what is happening on your street.

Want the numbers for your neighborhood specifically? Get a free home value report or talk to us.

House of the Week: 5921 Quinn Rd, Frederick, MD

This $890,000 Frederick property sits on 1.38 acres and pairs a three-bedroom main home with a separate two-bedroom in-law suite that currently rents for $1,900 a month. Add an in-ground pool with its own pool house, a barn and shed with power, and HVAC, water heaters and appliances all updated in the last three years. It works for multi-generational living or for buyers who want rental income to help with the mortgage.

Related episodes:

• Using your 401(k) to buy a home: real costs and better alternatives
• How long does a seller have to respond to an offer?
• Why aren't mortgage rates dropping?
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#JayDayAndTheDayHomeTeam #DayHomeTeam #LPTRealty #RealTalkRealEstatePodcast #HouseOfTheWeek #FrederickMD #FrederickMDRealEstate

Episode Transcript

Andy: I'm Andy Webb.

Jay: I'm Jay Day.

Andy: And this is Real Talk Real Estate. Jay, you and I, we spend a lot of time talking about real estate, selling homes, buying homes, but a lot of this is, you know, it's X's and O's. There's a perception and then there's the reality. What's the difference between the two? Where is what we're seeing and where is what we're talking about?

Jay: Well, just like I did last week, I want to, you know, put you on the spot. It's fun that way. You know, you can put me on the spot at times.

Andy: I've got a spot right here.

Jay: Yeah, exactly. All right. So question, from what you've been hearing, do you think the real estate market is stronger this year than last year? Or do you think last year is stronger than this year?

Andy: Ooh, I would say it's stronger last year than this year. But I feel like it's heading for better times, just based off of what I've seen and heard.

Jay: Okay. So most of the things in the headlines would get you to that thought process, right?

Andy: Right. Less inventory. People are waiting to sell. They take them off the market.

Jay: Yeah. And then you hear people, I mean, the amount of sellers that call us and buyers and say, I know the market is rough right now, or the buyers are saying, wow, it's a buyer's market, right? Like, now's the time.

Andy: Sure.

Jay: So I want to talk about, and I rarely do statistics, but I think it's really important when we're getting into what the perception is versus what reality is, because it's frustrating. You know, you even hear agents say, oh, the market's a little tougher now. The market's slower. I'm not selling as many homes. So we pulled the numbers for Frederick County. So we're only talking Frederick County, because we always talk. You can speak in generalities. And again, we have friends that are in different states, and the markets are really, really bad. Really, really slow. So we're going to talk, though, Frederick County resale. We're not including new construction, because not all the new construction numbers go into the MLS. So in 2025, Frederick County, there were 2,000, and so if we go from the beginning of the year to mid-August, there were 2,016 homes that had sold, closed. Year to date, from January to, well, actually not year to date, but to mid-August, there's 2,190 homes that have sold.

Andy: Oh, wow.

Jay: So we're well over what was sold last year.

Andy: Yeah, a bit better.

Jay: But again, everything you've heard, would you have thought that more homes have sold this year than last year?

Andy: I would not have thought that. Just hearing people talk in the news, nationally.

Jay: Now, days on market. Days on market. Back in 2025, it took a median days on market of 10 days. So 10 days your home was on the market, it went under contract and sold. This year, do you think it's longer or quicker?

Andy: I would say quicker.

Jay: Okay, I love getting you. So, 14 days this year. Last year, it took a week and a half. This year, it's two weeks. Still, two weeks, did you consider that a really long time?

Andy: I don't actually. I mean, that's still pretty fast.

Jay: Exactly. Now, the median sale price. Do you think homes have stayed about stable? Do you think home values have dropped or do you think home values have increased?

Andy: I would say they've increased just because of what I've heard about the amount of homes available.

Jay: So you got it.

Andy: Alright, finally I got one.

Jay: So, in 2025, $475K was the median sold price. The median sold price this year, $491K.

Andy: Wow, that's nothing to sneeze at.

Jay: No, not at all. So, with these statistics, when we really went through it, the market is, it's taken a little bit longer to sell your home. But more homes are selling and they're selling for more money.

Andy: But they're not getting as much fanfare in the news.

Jay: Exactly. So the other area that is catching the news and people are complaining about is interest rates. Right?

Andy: Right.

Jay: So, you know, what are we hearing in the news about interest rates?

Andy: We're hearing that they're not going to be coming down anytime soon.

Jay: Yeah, and people are complaining they're high, they want to wait for them to drop, it's too expensive, right?

Andy: Right.

Jay: So, look at this five-year timeline, and this is for 30-year fixed mortgage averages, okay? In 2021, we had, obviously, the record lows. You know, the average was 3.15%.

Andy: Yes.

Jay: Those numbers, we told everybody it's not going to last forever.

Andy: Right. Those were extraordinary circumstances.

Jay: Yes. Then we went to 2022. In 2022, the numbers went up as high as 7%, but because they started well below that, the average for 2022 was 5.53.

Andy: Okay, yeah, because you even it out over the course of the year.

Jay: So that was a pretty big bump on average.

Andy: Still? Yeah.

Jay: 2023, the average was 7%, peaking near 8% in late autumn.

Andy: Which, that's high year-long.

Jay: Yes, so 2023. 2024, the average was 6.9%.

Andy: Okay, coming down a bit.

Jay: 2025, 6.66%.

Andy: Okay.

Jay: 2026, year-to-date, 6.4.

Andy: Ticking down.

Jay: So, for those that say that, you know, I wish I would have bought last year, I should have bought sooner, unless you're talking about 2021, the interest rates are, on average, lower now than they've been since, you know, basically 2022.

Andy: And judging by the numbers you gave, they are ticking downward.

Jay: Yeah, and we don't know what's going to happen, but the whole mindset of, you know, the real estate market's slow, interest rates are higher than they've ever been, it's all perception.

Andy: Right.

Jay: And the challenge is, the perception of what people will see, what they hear, they turn that into a false reality. When you really look at the numbers, and I'm not talking, you know, like, these are strict numbers, Frederick County, for those listeners that are in this area, we are at a time where, if you're a seller, there are more homes selling. So, it does not sound like that's a buyer's market. Buyer, if you're listening, does that sound like a buyer's market to you?

Andy: Not really. Not yet.

Jay: If you're thinking about buying, but you're nervous because, you know, you think interest rates are horrible, and they're the worst they've ever been, we're nowhere near that. And the bottom line is, you know, news, and you and I talk about this, Andy, news, the whole point of the news, and again, maybe not the whole point, but a lot of it is all about fear.

Andy: Yeah, sure, whether it's about finances or it's about weather.

Jay: Yes.

Andy: It's all about drumming up excitement.

Jay: Yes, and they can sort of pause things. They can scare people from doing things. Think about it. I mean, even, you know, we're talking here, like, pre-pandemic and pandemic timeframes. You know, in the beginning, I mean, I was telling Christina the other day, I was like, do you remember, like, we were standing in lines outside the grocery store.

Andy: Yeah.

Jay: And when you and I first met.

Andy: Oh, you're wearing masks in an unoccupied home.

Jay: Yeah, and I'm like, hey, you need to use, here's the hand sanitizer I have. Don't touch any light switches.

Andy: Right.

Jay: You know, it was fear, a fear of the unknown.

Andy: Right, not having all the information.

Jay: Now it's like, that was sort of silly.

Andy: A bit, you feel like that.

Jay: Yeah, I mean, and yeah, it was some people, it was dangerous, some people did, but some of the things were a little over the top.

Andy: Sure.

Jay: So the bottom line is, you know, don't just believe what's in the headlines. Don't let things get into your head and create a situation that doesn't truly exist. If you really want to know what's going on, reach out to a professional. If the agent that you're talking to, and I mean, no hard feelings out there, but if you've been hearing from agents that the market is worse, I don't know what they're looking at.

Andy: They don't have the right info.

Jay: Maybe they're listening to the headlines as well.

Andy: Right.

Jay: Because this is real data. This is real information, local to Frederick County. If you have any questions, you know, we're here to answer the questions. We're here to give you real talk, real numbers, no BS. So, all right, I'm all pumped now. You ready for the House of the Week?

Andy: Yes, this is one of those homes that we're talking about.

Jay: Yes. 5921 Quinn Road in Frederick. Just hit the market for $890,000. We have open houses this Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, the open house is one to three. Sunday, it is two to four. This one is a really cool one because it is a home with a legitimate in-law apartment slash separate home that you could actually have rental income.

Andy: It's permitted.

Jay: Everything is good. The county knows about it. It isn't some crazy thing that somebody made up, and it is a totally separate house. It looks amazing. Yeah, you've got the main house. You've got a pool house, and then you have an in-law suite, rental apartment, whatever you want to call it. It's on 1.38 acres, over 4300 finished square feet of living space, an in-ground pool with the pool house. The pool house has a bar area, a wet bar, a full bath. The main house has a finished attic, a sunroom. In addition, there's a barn with power to it, so you've got another building. The HVAC water heaters and appliances were all updated in the last three years. There's a one-year home warranty the seller has paid for. The main home, three beds, two full baths, one half bath, two fireplaces, primary suite with a huge walk-in closet and built-in storage. The in-law slash rental suite adds two bedrooms, two full baths, a living room, dining area, full kitchen, and laundry. It has its own private deck, and right now, there is a tenant who has been there for a long time. They are month-to-month, and they're paying $1900 a month, plus utilities. So, you could have someone helping pay your mortgage. They don't want to leave if the person that buys it is cool with them staying, they'd love to stay. If not, because your situation is different, that's not a problem. So again, the pool house, we've already talked about that. The barn and shed have electricity, close to major highways, shopping and dining. This house is awesome. Go to WFRE.com, you'll be able to see the house of the week. We have photos, we have videos, or if you want to see it in person, stop out this Saturday 1-3 or Sunday 2-4 for the open houses.

Andy: That's an awesome home. You've got to check that out. We'll have more to check out next week. I'm Andy Webb.

Jay: And I'm Jay Day.

Andy: This is Real Talk Real Estate.