This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Real Estate

Are There Still Condo Buyers in Silver Spring?

How much has COVID-19 impacted Silver Spring condo sales? Find out which communities are still hot and which are not.

Condos offer a lower price alternative to home ownership and are quite popular in the DMV area, representing about 20% of all home sales, but can be as high as 50% in condo rich urban communities, such as Arlington, VA. Some of the key benefits of condo ownership include not having a yard to mow, onsite fitness center, gym, and pool, and a sense of community. Undoubtedly COVID-19 has impacted some of these benefits to condo ownership and, in the short-term, has change the desirability and attractiveness of condos.

Since the start of the summer, the inventory of homes have remained low, helping to keep home prices high, but not all homes are the same and we have observed a trend developing. Townhomes have the lowest inventory and are selling for above list price. Detached homes have low inventory and are selling for their list price. Condos have low inventory, however, the inventory is increasing and they are selling for less than list price. We believe the home buyers that would have been in the market for a larger condo are instead opting to purchase a similarly priced townhome, but not necessarily in the same area, resulting in less demand for condos and more demand for townhomes. So does the condo data support this? Let’s find out!

Click here to sign up for my free monthly real estate market update to stay current on the latest real estate market trends in your neighborhood.

Find out what's happening in Silver Springfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

In this article, we analyzed the most popular condos in Silver Spring and analyzed the data for 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units. We compared the average sold price for condos in 2019 vs 2020, to observe if prices are rising or falling. We also compared the average annual number of sales for the past 3-years (2017-2019) against the current active homes for sale, to observe if the inventory is high or low for a specific condo community.

Comparison of Average Sold Price of 1-Bedroom Condos in Silver Spring in 2019 vs 2020 YTD:

CommunitySold Price 2019Sold Price 2020Annual SalesActiveAssessment
8045 AT SILVER SPRING METRO$309,833$333,40061
AMERICANA FINMARK$178,500$192,25094
ASPEN GREEN$113,325$131,33320
AURORA$273,950$250,69521Price Dropping
COLUMBIA TOWERS$101,400$129,90050
CRESCENT$259,125$308,40060
DOWNTOWN SILVER SPRING$254,750$249,25740Price Dropping
FAIRWAYS$1,250,500$105,00010
GLENWAYE GARDENS$152,000$159,45010
GRAND BEL MANOR$1,600,000$1,550,50030
MICA AT SILVER SPRING METRO$218,779$250,19752
NORBECK CROSSING$269,500$241,00010Price Dropping
PARK BRADFORD$122,833$126,90030
PARK SUTTON$176,543$157,38050Price Dropping
PARKSIDE PLAZA$190,949$178,87890Price Dropping
PRESIDENTIAL PARK$1,500,000$1,775,75010Price Dropping
ROCK CREEK APTS$201,218$197,75050
ROCK CREEK GARDENS$215,643$240,66750
SILVERTON$320,440$328,290131
THAYER TOWERS$138,000$170,00020
THE ORION$294,000$330,00030
THE VINEYARDS$154,667$163,75030
TIERS AT SILVER SPRING$128,747$152,51473
UNIVERSITY TOWERS$110,917$131,350100
WOODSIDE$155,833$135,00010Price Dropping
How Much is my Vienna Home Worth?

Comparison of Average Sold Price of 2-Bedroom Condos in Silver Spring in 2019 vs 2020 YTD:

CommunitySold Price 2019Sold Price 2020Annual SalesActiveAssessment
8045 AT SILVER SPRING METRO$412,500$442,50040
AMERICANA FINMARK$227,778$247,78073
ASPEN FOREST$198,000$180,50010Price Dropping
AURORA$343,250$358,97373
COLUMBIA TOWERS$160,000$151,85031Price Dropping
CRESCENT$441,786$439,97570
DOWNTOWN SILVER SPRING$404,833$418,50034Inventory Rising
FAIRWAYS$129,200$126,00053Price Dropping
GLEN MANOR$160,000$140,00010Price Dropping
GLENWAYE GARDENS$174,000$191,63350
GRAND BEL MANOR$120,321$126,650140
LONDON TERRACE$238,334$226,07510Price Dropping
LONGMEAD CROSSING$200,890$201,50051
MICA AT SILVER SPRING METRO$466,250$427,45030Price Dropping
NATIONAL PARK SEMINARY$508,225$412,50020Price Dropping
NORBECK CROSSING$378,495$375,16062
PARK SUTTON$255,000$185,25021Price Dropping
PARKSIDE PLAZA$243,750$236,25080Price Dropping
ROCK CREEK APTS$281,600$284,42540
ROCK CREEK GARDENS$294,991$299,598100
SIERRA LANDING$192,700$192,80041
SILVERTON$465,000$462,36361
THAYER TOWERS$138,500$151,50020
THE CAROLYN$178,000$180,30012
THE ORION$404,300$506,10030
THE VINEYARDS$187,320$196,240120
TIERS AT SILVER SPRING$172,667$163,25031Price Dropping
TIERS AT WHEATON$274,966$243,90030Price Dropping
UNIVERSITY TOWERS$145,863$160,625110
WESTCHESTER WEST$131,667$145,58321
WESTWOOD GARDENS$296,475$308,80040
WINTERGATE AT LONGMEAD$208,488$213,393103
WINTERGATE AT LONGMEAD C$218,000$218,00020
WOODSIDE PARK$239,900$205,00000Price Dropping

In October, a total of 95 condo properties sold in Silver Spring for a median price of $245,000, with an average sold price to original list price of 99.4%. While condo sales continue to be relatively robust, overall inventory is rising and condo owners are selling for less than their original asking price, indicating that demand is softening. If you would like to keep track of your condo value, sign up for our custom monthly market update or reach out to me directly at 703-420-3499.

Find out what's happening in Silver Springfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

About Peggy Yee

Peggy Yee is a supervising broker at Frankly Realtors and is a local Top Producer. She has sold over $200 million in sales and was one of Northern Virginia Magazine's Top Realtors since 2015. She has been quoted in the Around Reston Magazine, Washington Post, Money Magazine, Consumer Reports, Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com. Peggy is 100% committed to making your move the best experience possible! Don't just take our word...Click here to see what Peggy's past clients have to say about the experience working with her from Buyer and Seller Video Testimonials and you'll understand why she is one of the top real estate agents in Silver Spring with dozens of 5 Star Zillow reviews. Click here for Zillow Reviews.

* Data Source: BrightMLS and SmartCharts. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Silver Spring