and asked if she should just pull her Owings home off the “maybe” list entirely and wait until spring. She’d read the word “cooling” and heard “don’t list now.” I told her that report also said the pipeline itself was healthy, pending contracts barely moved, and that a correction isn’t the same thing as a downturn. She wasn’t convinced. She wanted to see it prove itself for another week before she’d trust it.
This week proved it.
👉 View the full interactive market report here — county-by-county data, the Friedman Signal, and this week’s heat map.
full interactive market report
Statewide closings jumped back up to 609 homes, up 14.9% from 530 the week before. Median sold price climbed to $420,000, up 3.7%. And for the first time in six weeks, mortgage rates actually eased, the 30 year fixed dropped to 6.67%, down from 6.69%, according to Freddie Mac, snapping the longest streak of weekly increases this report has tracked all summer.
Here’s the part that matters most for Renee specifically: her own county, Calvert, was the fastest moving market in the entire state this week, 22 days average days on market with 26 closings, real volume behind a genuinely quick pace. That’s not a coincidence, and it’s not noise. It’s exactly the kind of local signal that should move someone off the fence.
I called her back and told her what I’m telling anyone else who paused their plans after last week: the pullback was real, but so is this rebound. Rates aren’t dropping fast, and they’re not going to save anyone thousands overnight. But a market that’s selling more homes, at higher prices, in fewer days, with borrowing costs finally moving the right direction, isn’t a market to wait out. It’s one to list into.
The high end: a waterfront estate at 140 Spa Dr in Annapolis hit the market this week for $4,600,000. It sits right on Spa Creek with a private marina, a non conforming 14 slip dock use grandfathered in since 1942, and an income producing lower level in law apartment with its own kitchen and water views. Works out to $1,396 per square foot.
The low end: a shell rowhome at 856 Lemmon St in Baltimore’s Hollins Roundhouse Historic District listed with an opening bid of just $7,500. Sold subject to an active vacant building notice, a few blocks from the University of Maryland Baltimore campus. That’s about $10 per square foot, online auction bidding runs September 7 through 9.
$4,592,500 apart. Same state, same week.
🏡 Homes Sold: 609, up 14.9% from 530 last week
🆕 New Listings: 1,240 statewide
✍️ Pending Contracts: 357, down modestly from 371
💰 Median Sold Price: $420,000, up 3.7% from $405,000
⏱️ Average Days on Market: 32 days, up slightly from 30
🏷️ Price Reductions: 1,220, up 5.4% from 1,158
📈 30 Year Mortgage Rate: 6.67%, its first weekly decline in six weeks
Fastest county this week: Calvert County, a genuine debut at the top of the pace rankings, 22 days average days on market with 26 closings, real volume behind it.
Slowest county: Caroline County, 65 days average days on market, nearly triple the pace of this week’s fastest counties.
Add up every home that closed in Maryland this week and you get $291,497,384 in total sales volume, across 609 transactions. That’s enough dollar volume to buy this week’s priciest listing, the $4.6 million Annapolis waterfront estate, more than 63 times over.
Here’s the flip side, though: 344 listings statewide were withdrawn, expired, or canceled this week without ever selling. That means for every 10 homes that successfully closed, roughly 5 to 6 others quietly fell out of the pipeline entirely. The market’s most visible number is always the one home that sells. The ones that don’t rarely make headlines, but this week, they very nearly kept pace with the ones that did.
Buying? Rates easing for the first time in six weeks isn’t a dramatic shift, but combined with 1,220 active listings carrying a price cut, there’s real room to negotiate right now, especially in counties like Baltimore City and Cecil where pace has slowed.
Selling? This week’s numbers are the proof last week’s pullback needed: more closings, a higher median price, and rates finally moving the right direction. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to list, a fast moving county with real transaction volume behind it, like Calvert this week, is exactly that sign.
Investing? Watch Baltimore County’s renewed pace closely, 141 closings with days on market dropping back to 26 is the state’s busiest market moving faster again, not slower.
These bars are basically a cheesecake, an apple pie, and a caramel apple decided to share one pan, four layers, all finished with a caramel drizzle. Perfect for the first cool weekend of fall.
Ingredients (makes 16 bars)
Graham Cracker Crust
15 graham crackers, crushed fine
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Apple Layer
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple pie spice (or pumpkin pie spice)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cheesecake Layer
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature
Crumb Topping
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Optional Topping
1/2 cup caramel sauce, for drizzling
How to Make It
Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.
Build the crust: Mix crushed graham crackers with sugar, then stir in melted butter until combined. Press into the pan, cover, and freeze while prepping the other layers.
Prep the apples: Toss chopped apples with lemon juice, then stir in both sugars, spice, and salt. Set aside.
Make the cheesecake layer: Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Mix in sour cream and vanilla, then add eggs on low speed just until incorporated, don’t overmix.
Make the crumb topping: Whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in melted butter with a fork until crumbly.
Assemble: Pour the cheesecake layer over the frozen crust. Spoon the apple mixture on top with a slotted spoon, leaving excess liquid behind. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the apples.
Bake: 35 to 45 minutes, until the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle. Cool completely, then chill at least 6 hours or overnight before slicing.
Serve: Cut into squares and finish with a generous caramel drizzle.
Tip: these store best in the fridge for up to 4 days without the caramel added yet, drizzle just before serving. Not recommended for freezing.
Sitting on the fence about listing, or wondering what this week’s rate dip actually means for your budget? Just reply to this email, I read every one.
📞 443-789-3101 | Kyle@Friedmanreteam.com
8115 Maple Lawn Blvd. #350 Fulton, MD 20759
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