WEST CHESTER, PA — Chester County’s housing market remained substantially tighter than the broader U.S. market in July, with homes selling faster, above asking price and amid lower inventory even as local prices eased from June and national supply continued to improve.
The county’s median sales price was $595,000 in July, down 4.8% from $625,000 in June but up 3.5% from $575,000 a year earlier.
That annual gain was nearly identical to the 3.4% increase reported across the 46 metropolitan areas tracked in the July 2026 REMAX National Housing Report. The national median sales price held flat from June at $450,000.
Chester County’s pricing, however, remained materially higher. Its $595,000 median was about 32% above the $450,000 median across the REMAX markets.
Inventory expanded locally but remained constrained. Chester County ended July with 1,185 active listings, up 5.8% from 1,120 in June, while 695 new listings entered the market during the month.
Nationally, inventory across the REMAX markets rose 2.8% from June and 4.7% from a year earlier. New listings fell 2.7% month over month but rose 1.4% from July 2025.
The difference is clearest in months of supply. Chester County had 1.9 months of inventory at the end of July, compared with 3.0 months across the 46 REMAX markets.
Both readings remain below the roughly four-to-six-month range commonly associated with a balanced housing market, but Chester County’s figure indicates materially stronger seller leverage.
That imbalance also showed up in pricing behavior. Chester County homes sold for an average 103% of list price, compared with 99% nationally.
A ratio above 100% means the average home closed for more than its asking price. At 99%, the average sale in the REMAX sample closed below list.
Market speed was another major point of divergence.
Chester County homes went under contract in a median of six days in July, while properties across the REMAX markets spent an average of 45 days on the market.
The two measures are not perfectly comparable because Chester County’s figure is a median and REMAX reports an average, but the gap still points to a much faster-moving local market.
Closed sales in Chester County totaled 617, down 7.5% from 667 in June and essentially unchanged from a year earlier.
Nationally, transactions fell 5.7% from June but increased 2.5% year over year.
The local pullback in sales despite rising inventory suggests that higher mortgage costs and buyer selectivity are restraining volume without materially weakening seller pricing power.
That differs from some parts of the country, where additional inventory is producing more negotiating room for buyers.
REMAX described the national market as increasingly localized, with conditions varying sharply by metro. Miami, for example, recorded an 11.8% annual increase in closed transactions while other areas continued to experience weaker demand.
The same divergence is visible between Chester County and the broader national sample.
Locally, sellers retained the advantage through a combination of low supply, rapid contract activity and above-list pricing. Nationally, inventory was more plentiful, homes took longer to sell and the average close-to-list ratio remained below 100%.
The Chester County median listing price stood at $624,995 in July, suggesting sellers were still pricing properties aggressively even after the median closed price slipped from June.
Taken together, the July data point to a market that is cooling seasonally but not loosening significantly.
Chester County had more homes available than in June, but supply remained well below national levels and buyer competition continued to push average sale prices above asking. The national market, by comparison, showed more inventory, slower sales and greater room for negotiation.
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