Powhatan County housing market, September 2026: the median rose 14% while active listings rose 79.5%

Powhatan County’s median sale price in September 2026 was $580,000, up 14% from a year ago. The number that matters more for a buyer or seller is on the other side of the ledger: active listings were up 79.5%.

A rising median alongside a surge in inventory looks like a contradiction, so it deserves a closer look.

What did Powhatan’s September look like?

These are September 2026 figures for Powhatan County, compared with September 2025.

Measure	September 2026	vs a year ago
Median sale price	$580,000	+14%
Closed sales	29	-27.5%
Median days on market	17	+30.8%
Months of supply	4.5	+125%
Active listings (month end)	149	+79.5%

Prices are medians of closed sales. Active listings and months of supply describe homes for sale, not homes sold.

Why did the median rise while price per square foot slipped?

Median price per square foot was $235.55, down 2.2% from a year ago. The median sale price rose 14%.

Those two figures describe the same 29 sales and point in different directions. My read is that the higher median partly reflects which homes happened to sell, not that the same house became 14% more valuable. That is an interpretation. The data doesn’t show square footage or condition for each sale.

With only 29 sales, a few larger homes closing in one month can lift a median noticeably. Every one of the 29 was a detached home, so there was no cheaper condo or townhouse sale to pull the middle down.

How much more choice did buyers have?

Active listings reached 149, up 79.5% from a year ago. New listings rose 16.3% to 57. Months of supply, which compares active listings with the recent pace of sales, was 4.5, up 125%.

Fewer sales and more listings is the arithmetic behind that jump. Closed sales fell 27.5%.

The supply picture was uneven by price band. Each band below had fewer than ten sales, so treat the ratios as directional.

Price band	Closed sales	Active listings	Months of supply
$350K–$500K	7	31	3.1
$500K–$750K	8	46	3.9
$750K–$1M	8	36	6.0

What did the terms of sale look like?

The sale-to-list price ratio was 100.0%, meaning the median sale closed at the final list price. That compares with the final list price, so a home that was reduced first is measured against the lower number.

Of the 29 sales, 27.6% closed above list, 27.6% had a price reduction (down 26.4% from a year ago) and 41.4% included seller concessions (down 21.1%). These overlap, so don’t add them together. A concession in a sale doesn’t promise one for the next buyer.

What does it mean for buyers and sellers?

This section is interpretation, not data.

If you’re buying, more choice usually means more time to compare and room to ask about terms. It doesn’t mean every home is negotiable. A well-priced house in a popular range can still sell at list.

If you’re selling, you are competing with a lot more listings than a year ago. A median is not your price. Compare your house with similar closed sales, and ask what you’d do differently if showings are slow in the first two weeks.

What should we watch next?

Whether closed sales recover while listings stay high, which would bring months of supply down. Whether the days-on-market figure keeps rising from 17. And whether the $750K–$1M band, which showed the longest supply, starts moving.

With a county this size, one month won’t settle it. I’d look at three months together before reading a trend.

What do I expect from here?

My read is that Powhatan stays a market where pricing accuracy matters more than the headline median. I’d expect homes priced to recent sales to keep closing, and ambitious prices to wait longer. I wouldn’t call this month a turning point in either direction.

What should I do next?

If you’re deciding whether to buy or sell in Powhatan, the useful next step is a comparison of your price range and property against recent closed sales, not the county median. Talk with our Glen Allen office and we’ll walk through it. You can also read what the housing data says about living in Powhatan County, see our Glen Allen office, or read about Daniel Keeton.

Source: Keeton & Co analysis of CVR MLS data, September 2026. Data through October 3, 2026. Prices are medians of closed sales (n=29). Active listings, new listings and months of supply describe the market at month end or the recent pace, not closed sales. Year-ago changes are relative percent changes. Full data: Powhatan County market page.