Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

More homes are showing up, but they are not sitting for long

By Mike Myslinski

Real estate, Balt Co for Data Purpose

"There are more homes to look at now. Does that mean I can take my time?"

Sort of. But not everywhere, and not on every home. Here is what the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted in the three months ending August 31, 2026, across the parts of Baltimore County I work every day.

Yes, more homes came to market

Inventory did rise in several areas. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted homes for sale in Lutherville up 35.7% year over year. Towson (21204) was up 14.7%. Perry Hall nearly doubled, up 103.4%. That is real. Buyers have more to look at than they did a year ago.

But more homes for sale does not mean the market went soft. Supply stayed tight. Months of supply in most of these areas ran between 1.2 and 2.9. That is still a seller's market by any normal measure.

Supply is still thin almost everywhere

A balanced market is usually six months of supply. None of these areas is close. Even where inventory grew the most, homes are still selling.

Days on market crept up, but well-priced homes still move fast

Realtor.com reported that days on market across the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area rose 7 days year over year. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the same pattern in several ZIP codes.

Catonsville sat at just 14 days, and the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 72.2% of Catonsville homes going under contract within two weeks of listing. That is not a slow market. Parkville was nearly as quick, at 23 days.

Perry Hall tells the more complicated story. Days on market there rose 21 days year over year, to 35 days. Inventory more than doubled. Yet homes still sold at 102% of list price, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. More choice for buyers, but priced-right homes still drew offers.

Prices mostly held or climbed

Most areas saw prices rise, even where inventory grew. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put Cockeysville's median sale price at $660,770, up 24.7% from a year before. Perry Hall came in at $524,500, up 22%. Lutherville reached $545,000, up 9%.

A few areas dipped. Towson (21286) dropped 16.8% and Parkville edged down 1.8%. Those are worth watching, and worth understanding neighborhood by neighborhood before drawing a conclusion.

What this means if you are selling

Buyers have a little more to look at. That means your home has to earn the offer. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows that in Cockeysville, the share of homes going under contract within two weeks dropped 11 points year over year. In Pikesville it dropped 7.8 points. In Towson (21286) it dropped 24.3 points.

That is not a collapse. It is a signal. Pricing and prep matter more than they did a year ago. A home that is ready and priced right still sells fast. One that is not may sit.

What this means if you are buying

You have a little more choice. But supply is still 2 to 3 months in most of these areas. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% as of October 29, 2026. That rate is real, and it shapes what you can afford.

Do not assume every home will wait for you. In Reisterstown, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 52.3% of homes going under contract within two weeks of listing. In Catonsville, 72.2%. Those homes are not sitting.

One more thing worth knowing

These numbers cover whole ZIP codes. One street can read very differently from the ZIP code average. A home near a good school feeder, priced well, in good shape, still draws competition. A home that needs work, or sits at the top of its price range, may take longer.

That is the part the averages cannot tell you. Your street is its own story.