Three Months In, How Is DOGE Affecting The DC-Area Housing Market?

• May 6th

by UrbanTurf Staff

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The Department of Government Efficiency began making large cuts to the federal workforce back in February, and new data suggests how the regional housing market is being affected. 

The latest weekly report from Bright MLS continues to find that there is an uptick in new listings coming online in the DC area, but the market is not being flooded. Specifically, there were approximately 15% more listings on the market in the first week of May compared with the same week in 2024. 

"Some of the uptick reflects a shift in the housing market broadly, as new listings are rising across most of the country," the report stated. "However, there are more new listings coming on the DC market this spring, which could be a signal that Federal government workforce cuts and return-to-the-office mandates are having an impact."

A quick caveat: Bright MLS warns that housing market activity can fluctuate significantly from week to week. "We urge caution about drawing conclusions from just one week of data and rather should watch trends over time."

Aside from an uptick in new listings, other metrics point to a typical but slightly slower spring housing market. The number of homes that went under contract last week in the DC area was down less than a percent compared to a year ago; in other parts of the Bright MLS coverage area, sales were down 6-7%. Median home prices in the region are up 4% year-over-year, with most jurisdictions seeing increases. 

"There are no signs that Federal workforce cuts are having a substantial impact on either sales or prices in the D.C. region," the report stated. 

Photo by Home Visions Media of home for sale on Capitol Hill.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/three_months_in_how_is_doge_affecting_the_dc-area_housing_market/23473.