Yes. Full stop, hard yes. Here's the case, and here's exactly where and what to buy to take advantage of it.On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve did something almost nobody in Washington ever does: it held its ground under pressure from both directions and changed nothing. New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh — in just his second meeting at the helm — kept the federal funds rate parked at 3.50%–3.75%. That's the fifth straight meeting at that level. The vote was 9-3, and the three dissents weren't calling for a cut. They wanted a hike. Cleveland's Beth Hammack, Minneapolis's Neel Kashkari, and Dallas's Lorie Logan all argued inflation — running hot on energy prices and the Iran conflict — justified raising rates further. Meanwhile, the political pressure has been running the opposite direction, with the White House pushing hard for cuts.
Warsh split the difference by holding, and he wasn't shy about why: "There is no soft implicit target. Not on this committee's watch. There's only a target and it's 2%." Markets are now pricing in decent odds of a hike before the end of the year rather than the cut everyone spent the last year waiting for.
If you've been sitting on the sidelines waiting for a clearer signal, this is it. Not because rates dropped — they didn't — but because of what a hold under this much pressure tells you, combined with what's actually happening on the ground in DC right now.
The case for yes
Waiting has been losing you money. Buyers have been holding out for lower rates since the last cut ended in December. In the meantime, DC-area home prices haven't stood still — median sold price across the metro is up 3% year-to-date to $649,000. Every month spent waiting for a cut that hasn't come is a month of paying more for the same house, with no rate relief to show for it.
The next move might be up, not down. With three sitting Fed presidents on record wanting a hike this month, "rates will eventually come down" is no longer the safe assumption it was a year ago. Locking in financing now, while the range has held steady for five straight meetings, protects you from the scenario where the next surprise is an increase.
Days on market are stretching across the board. Metro-wide average days on market climbed from 26 to 31 this year — a 19% jump. Sellers who priced for last year's pace are having to adjust. That gap between seller expectation and market reality is exactly where buyer leverage lives.
Affordability has actually improved. Nationally, it now takes 29.8% of median household income to afford the average home — down from the cycle high of 35% in October 2023. A Fed committed to holding the line rather than whipsawing policy gives buyers and lenders a stable number to plan around instead of a moving target.
Now — where does all of that actually point you? Not every corner of DC is offering the same deal right now, and not every property type is playing by the same rules.
Where to buy: condos in Shaw, Logan Circle, NoMa, and Eckington
This is where the leverage is most obvious. Condo sales across the metro were down 8.9% in June year-over-year, days on market stretched from 19 to 24, and active listings jumped over 25%. In neighborhoods like Shaw and Logan Circle, that translates directly into negotiating room — on price, on closing cost credits, on move-in timelines — that simply didn't exist two years ago. NoMa and Eckington, both still absorbing new construction inventory, are seeing sellers get realistic fast. If you've been priced out of a boutique condo in these neighborhoods before, this is the window.
Where to buy: rowhouses in Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park
Single-family homes are the one segment where demand never really cooled — closings were up 9.8% year-over-year and prices are still climbing, if modestly. That's not a soft market, but it is a stable one, and stability is worth paying for when the alternative is chasing a market that could still run away from you. Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park rowhouses hold their value precisely because inventory here stays tight even when the rest of the market loosens up — buying now locks in today's price before the next cycle of demand catches up to it.
Where to buy: townhomes in Truxton Circle and Eckington
Townhome closings were up 7.2% year-over-year, but median price actually slipped slightly. That combination — rising demand with softening price — is about as close to a sweet spot as this market offers. Truxton Circle in particular has been quietly gentrifying for years without the price spikes of its neighbors, and Eckington's townhome stock is deep enough that you're not competing over one or two listings.
Where to buy: Adams Morgan for anyone playing the long game
Adams Morgan doesn't show up in the short-term stats the way the others do, but it's worth a mention for buyers thinking five-plus years out. It's one of the few DC neighborhoods where walkability, nightlife, and genuine architectural character all overlap — and that combination doesn't get cheaper as the market normalizes.
Bottom line
Rates aren't low, and nobody should pretend otherwise. But a Fed that just proved it will hold its line under real pressure from both sides gives you something more valuable than a lower number: a stable one to plan around, in a DC market where sellers — especially in the condo segment — are already adjusting to buyers' terms. The Fed's next decision isn't until September 15–16, with Warsh speaking at Jackson Hole in late August. Plenty of time for the narrative to shift again. Today's numbers are the most stable ones you're going to get for a while.
If you've been waiting for a green light, this is it.
About Eric
Eric Nielsen is a real estate agent with RLAH | @properties, specializing in NW and NE DC — Bloomingdale, Shaw, Logan Circle, NoMa, Eckington, Truxton Circle, LeDroit Park, and Adams Morgan. Before real estate, Eric spent 20+ years as a direct response copywriter and creative strategist, work he still does today through DC Creative. That background shows up in how he reads a market: less hype, more of the numbers that actually move a deal — which is the whole idea behind this newsletter.
