Northwest Philadelphia is running a two-speed housing market. In September 2026, 121 homes closed across the nine communities I cover, per Bright MLS, while the five Philadelphia zip codes put 78 homes under contract, up from 57 in August. Half of the second quarter's 435 closings went under contract within eight days of listing; the rest waited out weeks or months. This page is the standing summary of that market, refreshed with each monthly report.
The latest month: September 2026
A total of 121 homes closed in September across the nine communities, per Bright MLS, down from 138 in August. One caution applies to everything below: a monthly median moves with the mix of what sold, and in a town with a handful of closings a single unusual sale can swing it.
| Community | Homes closed | Median sale price |
|---|---|---|
| Roxborough | 39 | $350,000 |
| Mt. Airy | 22 | $482,500 |
| Glenside | 22 | $437,500 |
| Manayunk | 12 | $375,000 |
| East Falls | 10 | $399,900 |
| Chestnut Hill | 6 | $799,500 |
| Flourtown | 6 | $777,750 |
| Wyndmoor | 3 | $465,000 |
| Oreland | 1 | $450,000 |
Roxborough did the volume again, with 39 closings, but its $350,000 median was the lowest monthly figure of the past year, one month after August's $420,000 set the high. Both sit inside a band that has run only $350,000 to $420,000 over 12 months. Mt. Airy's median came back to $482,500 on 22 sales after August's $565,000. Chestnut Hill closed six sales at $799,500 and put 12 homes under contract, the most of any month in the past year. Wyndmoor's figure is the middle of three sales and Oreland's is a single sale.
Supply grew. The five Philadelphia zip codes ended September with 333 homes for sale, up from 294 at the end of August and the highest month-end count of the past 12 months.
The full write-up of the month is the September report, which has the detail on pace, supply and the pending pipeline.
Mortgage rates passed 7 percent in September
On September 16 the Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate by a quarter point, to a range of 3.75 to 4 percent, its first increase since July 2023, according to its statement. Mortgage rates were already climbing, and they kept going. Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the 30-year fixed at 6.66 percent on August 27, 6.95 on September 17 and 7.03 on September 24, the first reading above 7 percent since January 2025. It reached 7.28 on October 1, the highest since November 2023.
On a $400,000 loan, that move from 6.66 to 7.28 percent adds $166 a month in principal and interest.
Mortgage rates follow the bond market more than the Fed. A 30-year mortgage is priced off the 10-year Treasury yield, which ended September at 5.29 percent, up from 4.75 at the end of August, according to Treasury data published by the St. Louis Fed. I wrote a full breakdown of the mechanism, with five years of rate data charted.
In the five Philadelphia zip codes I cover, 78 homes went under contract in September, up from 57 in August, per Bright MLS. Most of those contracts were signed before rates passed 7 percent. If rates hold there, October's count will be the first to show how buyers respond.
The year so far
Two numbers frame 2026 to date. The nine communities closed 435 sales in the second quarter, and half of them went under contract within eight days of listing, per Bright MLS. At the same time, the five Philadelphia zip codes ended June with 328 active listings, about 18 percent more than a year earlier. More homes are for sale, and the well-priced ones are selling faster. That split, rather than any single average, is the story of this market, and I wrote about it at length in the post on the market agents keep calling weird.
Bright MLS's Q2 2026 Industry Watch report puts county-level context under those numbers. Montgomery County's median sale price was $495,000 on 1.8 months of supply, with sellers collecting 101 percent of original asking price on average. Philadelphia County's median was $300,000 on 4.3 months of supply, with sellers averaging 96.3 percent of original ask. Within the communities here, Oreland's 19075 collected 105.6 percent of original list in the second quarter, Glenside's 19038 ran 102.7 percent and Chestnut Hill's 19118 came in at 103.5 percent.
The reports behind this page
Each month gets a full report with charts, the pending pipeline and neighborhood-by-neighborhood detail, and each quarter gets a deeper review. All of them live in the Market Update archive. Start with the September 2026 update and the Q2 2026 quarterly report. The dated posts stay put as the permanent record; this page moves with the market.
Numbers at this altitude describe nine markets at once. If you want them run for one street or one price range, reach out. And when the question turns from the market to your own move, my services page covers the buying side and the selling side.
Henry is a Philadelphia-based REALTOR® serving buyers and sellers in Northwest Philadelphia and Montgomery County, PA. Questions? Get in touch.
Based on information from Bright MLS for 9/1/2026 through 9/30/2026; data is reliable but not guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Northwest Philadelphia housing market right now?
Closings slowed in September 2026 while new contracts and listings picked up. A total of 121 homes closed across the nine communities this page covers, per Bright MLS, down from 138 in August. The five Philadelphia zip codes put 78 homes under contract, up from 57, and ended the month with 333 homes for sale, the most of the past year. Mortgage rates crossed 7 percent on September 24, per Freddie Mac.
What is the median home price in Northwest Philadelphia?
There is no single number; each community has its own market. In September 2026 the monthly medians ran from $350,000 in Roxborough and $375,000 in Manayunk to $777,750 in Flourtown and $799,500 in Chestnut Hill, per Bright MLS. Wyndmoor closed three sales and Oreland one, too few for a median to mean much. Monthly medians in small markets move with the mix of what sold, so read them alongside the full reports.
What areas does this page cover?
Nine communities: Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill, East Falls, Manayunk and Roxborough in Northwest Philadelphia, and Wyndmoor, Flourtown, Oreland and Glenside in eastern Montgomery County. The same nine appear in every monthly and quarterly report, so the numbers are comparable across the series.
How often is this page updated?
With each monthly Bright MLS pull, shortly after month end. The dated posts in the Market Update archive are the permanent record of each month, and this page always shows the most recent numbers.
