CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Chester County’s housing market remains brisk and seller-led, even as national conditions show greater balance. Late-summer data point to elevated prices, tight supply, and fast absorption across the county.
As of September 2025, the median sale price was $552,083, with a median list price of $595,000. Homes typically moved to pending status in about a week. Active listings topped 1,000 in August before slipping to 799 in September, and more than half of July sales closed above asking. Nine towns in the county rank among Pennsylvania’s most expensive markets.
Nationally, conditions differ. The Realtor.com® September Monthly Housing Trends report found that 19.9% of U.S. listings saw price reductions, with cuts concentrated in the $350,000–$500,000 tier and rarer at $1 million-plus. “September’s trends show a housing market increasingly tilting in buyers’ favor, with a rising inventory of homes for sale, longer days on market and more competitive pricing,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com®. “At the same time, a Realtor.com® analysis of seasonal trends shows the week of October 12–18 offers a particularly good window for buyers. While market power varies across regions and price tiers, reflecting economic conditions, in many areas momentum is lining up with seasonal price cuts and other advantages, which will make this fall particularly buyer-friendly relative to recent years.”
Inventory rose 17.0% year over year nationwide in September, remaining above 1 million for a fifth straight month, though still 13.9% below 2017–2019 norms. Regional gaps are widening: the South and West are adding supply faster, while the Northeast—where Pennsylvania sits—remains structurally tighter. Homes spent a median of 62 days on market nationally, seven days longer than a year ago.
What It Means for Chester County
- Pricing power remains firm. With sub-800 active listings in September and quick time to pending, the county’s supply-demand balance still favors sellers even as the U.S. trend bends toward buyers.
- Selective softness, not a reset. Any national tilt toward price cuts is more likely to appear at the county’s lower- to mid-price tiers than at the luxury end, and even then may be tempered by local scarcity.
- Affordability pressure persists. High incomes and strong employment support demand, but costs continue to outpace wages, limiting access for first-time buyers and essential workers.
Barring a sharp macro shift, Chester County’s fundamentals—top-ranked schools, proximity to Philadelphia and Wilmington, and a diverse job base—point to continued resilience through year-end. The near-term watch items are inventory flow into the holidays and whether national pricing softness bleeds into local mid-tier segments. Longer term, the central challenge remains expanding attainable supply without eroding the market strength that draws buyers to the county.
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