Chester County market notes: September 2026

The short version

September gave buyers a bit more breathing room without changing who has the upper hand. Chester County had about 14% more homes for sale than a year ago, sales were up 9%, and the median price barely moved: $554,900, up 1.1%. The typical home still spent just 9 days on the market. At 2.1 months of supply, it’s still a seller’s market, well short of the five to six months usually considered balanced, just a less frantic one.

What it means if you’re buying

• More to choose from. There were 1,020 homes for sale at the end of September, up from 898 a year earlier. You can be a little pickier, and you’re less likely to be up against several other offers on every house.
• The good ones still go fast. A 9-day median means well-priced homes are usually under contract within about a week and a half. Have your pre-approval in hand and be ready to see a home within a day or two of it listing.
• This month’s tip: listings usually slow down in November and December, so the next few weeks are likely to offer more choice than midwinter. Set up a listing alert for the towns you’re watching and you’ll hear about new homes the day they list.

What it means if you’re selling

• Price for today, not for spring. The county median slipped from $570,000 in August to $554,900 in September, the usual late-summer cooling, and it’s up only about 1% from a year ago. Pricing off what a neighbor got in May is the most common way to end up sitting.
• Buyers have alternatives. With 14% more homes on the market, a well-priced, well-presented home still sells in about 9 days. One that’s priced above the market gets compared with everything else and waits.
• This month’s tip: before you pick a list price, look at what sold near you in the last 60–90 days, not what’s listed. I’ll put that together for you for free.

Around the county

Area	Median sale price	Homes sold	Months of supply
Downingtown area	$530,000	39	2.6
Chester Springs area	$759,000	22	3.1
Exton area	$639,900	41	1.7
West Chester area	$695,000	78	1.7
Malvern area	$642,000	43	2.8
Phoenixville area	$480,000	33	1.4

Areas by municipality. Source: Bright MLS Market Statistics, residential, September 2026, printed October 13, 2026. Downingtown: Downingtown Borough, East Caln, East Brandywine, West Bradford. Chester Springs: Upper Uwchlan, West Vincent, West Pikeland, Wallace. Exton: West Whiteland, Uwchlan. West Chester: West Chester Borough, West Goshen, East Goshen, East Bradford, Westtown, Thornbury. Malvern: Malvern Borough, East Whiteland, Willistown, Charlestown. Phoenixville: Phoenixville Borough, Schuylkill, East Pikeland.

Each area had between 22 and 78 sales in September, so a few high- or low-priced homes can swing the median a lot from month to month. Malvern’s median, for example, was $642,000, against $735,000 a year earlier, on just 43 sales. Read these as a snapshot, not a trend. Supply was tight everywhere, from 1.4 months in the Phoenixville area to 3.1 in the Chester Springs area.

What I’m watching next month

• Pending sales. New contracts were down 6% from last year (456 vs. 485). Pending sales turn into closings a month or two later, so October and November sales may come in a little lighter.
• Whether the extra inventory holds as the holidays approach and fewer sellers list.