Contracts Changed to 12.7% in September. What That Early Signal Means for Central Ohio Sellers

The September Columbus REALTORS® report is out, and most headlines will focus on closed sales, which fell 5.7% to 2,550. The more important number for sellers is a different one: homes going under contract dropped 12.7% to 2,448.

Closed sales tell you what happened 30 to 60 days ago, when those buyers wrote their offers. Contracts tell you what buyers are doing right now. September's drop lines up with mortgage rates climbing through the month, and it is an early signal of what fall closings will look like.

The September Numbers

• Homes under contract: 2,448, down 12.7% from a year ago.
• Closed sales: 2,550, down 5.7%.
• Inventory: 6,530 homes, up 12.3%, with 2.6 months of supply compared with 2.3 a year ago.
• Median days on market: 33, up from 30.
• Median sale price: $334,250, up 2.8%. Year to date, the median is $340,000, up 3.3%.
• Sellers received 98.8% of their final list price, but only 96.3% of their original list price.

What This Tells You

Prices are holding. The median is still up from last year, and Columbus REALTORS® President Gloria Alonso Cannon put it plainly: "Sellers should know that demand in central Ohio is still strong." But buyers are moving more cautiously. With 6,530 homes for sale and fewer buyers writing offers, each listing is competing for a smaller pool of active buyers than it was a month ago.

The gap between original and final list price is the clearest warning. Homes that started too high had to come down about 2.5 points on average before they sold. On a $400,000 list price, that is roughly $10,000 of price reductions, plus the extra weeks on market it took to get there.

What Smart Sellers Are Doing This Fall

• Pricing to the market of the last 30 days, not the last 6 months. Comparable sales from spring reflect a lower-rate environment. Recent pending sales are a better guide.
• Watching their own neighborhood's contract activity. Regional numbers set the tone, but the homes going under contract near you are the most accurate read on buyer demand at your price point.
• Making the first two weeks count. Fresh listings get the most attention. Strong photos, a clean and well-prepared home, and accurate pricing from day one matter more when buyers are selective.

Planning for a slightly longer timeline. With days on market rising, build a few extra weeks into moving plans. 



Bottom Line

September's 12.7% drop in contracts is a heads-up, not a downturn. Prices are still up year over year, but fewer buyers are writing offers as rates sit above 7%. Sellers who price to the most recent market and launch strong will still sell well. Sellers who test a high price first are likely to give back that difference, and then some, later. 

Margaret Lipp | REMAX Premier Choice

Serving Upper Arlington, Dublin, Worthington, Clintonville, Hilliard, Powell, Grandview, and all Central Ohio communities

Data source: Columbus REALTORS® Central Ohio Housing Report, September 2026 (released October 13, 2026), based on Columbus & Central Ohio Regional MLS residential data. MLS price figures do not account for sale concessions.