The Fed Acted . . . Buyers Didn’t React Much

Contract activity for September 14 - 20, 2025, in the Virginia Countryside and West Virginia Panhandle area was down 3.3% compared to the same seven-day period last year.

Key Takeaways

• The Federal Reserve cut its funds rate by 25 basis points – the first cut this year – and mortgage rates rose slightly in response. As we noted last week, that wasn’t unexpected.
• In response, buyers didn’t change their behavior much.  There were 176 newly ratified contracts last week compared to 182 the same week last year.  And there were 15 fewer contracts last week than just one week before.
• These more rural markets are just kind of plugging along – not too hot, and certainly not too cold.

Why It Matters

• The Virginia Countryside saw a modest 1.1% increase in contract activity.  That represents just one more contract than last year
• The West Virginia Panhandle had a 7.8% drop, down just seven contracts from last year.

The Real Estate Details

• Virginia Countryside was up 1.1%, and is up 4.6% year-to-date.
• West Virginia Panhandle was down 7.8% and is down 3.6% year-to-date.