Some Columbia areas are moving fast even with rates above 7%
Yea, rates are high. Realtor.com reported mortgage rates topped 7% in September 2026. CNBC put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.30% as of September 30, 2026. That is real money on a monthly payment. But here is the thing: some Columbia neighborhoods did not flinch.
The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted homes across Greater Columbia for the three months ending July 31, 2026. Speed varied a lot by ZIP code. In some parts of town, more than half of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. In others, buyers had more room to breathe.
How fast did homes move in your part of town?
This is the number that tells you the most. It is the share of homes that went under contract within two weeks of hitting the market. A high number means sellers had the upper hand. A low one means buyers had time to think.
ZIP 29205, in the heart of Columbia, led the market. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 56% of homes going under contract within two weeks. That share held steady from a year before, unchanged. Even with rates above 7%, buyers there did not wait around.
Irmo's 29063 was right behind. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put 40.3% of homes under contract within two weeks there. That was down 1.5 points from a year ago, so it slowed just a little. But 40% is still a fast market.
What the rest of the market looked like
Not every corner of Greater Columbia moved that fast. Here is a broader look at key numbers across the ZIPs the Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked for the three months ending July 31, 2026.
| 29205 | 29063 | 29072 (Lexington) | 29016 (Blythewood) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $355,000 | $301,000 | $355,000 | $344,508 |
| Median days on market | 22 | 41 | 34 | 55 |
| Under contract in 2 weeks | 56% | 40.3% | 33.8% | 26.1% |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 98% | 98.5% | 98.5% | 99.1% |
ZIP 29205 had the fastest median days on market in the data. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put it at 22 days. That is one day shorter than the same stretch in 2025. Prices there held flat at $355,000, unchanged year over year. Steady price, fast sales. That is a balanced spot.
Lexington's 29072 was the biggest market by volume. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 409 homes sold there in the three months ending July 31, 2026, up 7.6% from a year before. Median days on market was 34. More than 1 in 3 homes went under contract within two weeks.
Where it slowed down
Not every ZIP told a fast story. ZIP 29223, in northeast Columbia, saw the biggest supply jump. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 220 homes for sale there, up 38.4% from a year ago. Median days on market climbed to 46, which was 13 days longer than 2025. The share going under contract in two weeks fell 4.4 points to 37.4%. More choices for buyers, more patience required from sellers.
ZIP 29036, the Chapin and Lake Murray area, also took longer. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put median days on market at 55 there. That was 14 days shorter than a year before, which is a real improvement. But it is still the slower end of the market. Only 28.4% went under contract within two weeks.
What about prices?
The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. Realtor.com reported the median list price in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area hit $375,000 in September 2026, and that 16.2% of listings in that metro had a price cut that same month. Locally, the picture was mixed. Some ZIP codes saw prices climb. Others dipped a little.
ZIP 29036 in the Chapin and Lake Murray area saw prices rise 6.2% to a median of $446,200. That was the highest median sale price among the ZIPs the Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked here. ZIP 29127, near Lake Murray's western shore, hit $500,000. Homes sold there jumped 67.7% year over year, and days on market fell 40 days shorter than 2025.
Some prices did pull back. ZIP 29212 in the Irmo area dipped 9.9% to $265,000. ZIP 29169 in West Columbia fell 12.9% to $230,000. A price dip does not always mean trouble. In 29169, homes sold 48.4% more often than a year before. More volume, lower price, faster sales. That is a market finding its level.
The rate picture
So, rates. Realtor.com said mortgage rates topped 7% in September 2026 for the first time since January 2025. CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.30% on September 30, 2026. That is a real headwind for buyers watching their monthly payment.
And yet, the Real Estate Data Aggregator data covers the three months ending July 31, 2026. Rates were already elevated then. Buyers in ZIP 29205 still moved fast. Buyers in Irmo's 29063 still moved fast. Good prep and smart pricing matter more when every dollar of rate costs more.
What this means for you
If you are selling, the ZIP code matters more than the headline rate. A home in 29205 or 29063 that is priced right can still move in two weeks. A home in 29223 or 29036 needs a sharper price and a cleaner presentation. The market will tell you what it thinks within the first ten days.
If you are buying, more supply in some areas means you have room to ask questions and negotiate. ZIP 29223 had 4.3 months of supply, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. ZIP 29072 in Lexington had 3 months. ZIP 29201 downtown had just 1.9 months. Different markets, same town.
- Rates above 7% are real.
- But in Greater Columbia, speed still depends on the street, not just the rate.
- ZIP 29205 had 56% of homes under contract in two weeks.
- ZIP 29223 had 4.3 months of supply.
- One market, very different reads.
- The three months ending July 31, 2026 is the period these numbers cover, so read them as a recent snapshot, not today's live count.
Your next step
(803) 307-7788Text me your address and I will send back how fast homes like yours are moving in your Columbia ZIP code, and what they actually sold for in the three months ending July 31, 2026. Takes a day, costs nothing.
Text me- Real Estate Data Aggregator numbers for ZIPs 29036, 29063, 29212, 29205, 29223, 29016, 29204, 29033, 29170, 29169, 29073, 29072, 29054, 29070, 29172, 29127, 29210, 29203 and 29201, the three months ending July 31, 2026, compared with the same months of 2025. Real Estate Data Aggregator last updated them on Sep 3, 2026.
- Realtor.com: September 2026 Monthly Housing Trends: Price Cuts Hit 4-Year Highs as Mortgage Rates Top 7%, Sep 30, 2026
- Realtor.com: August 2026 Rental Report: Rents Fall for 37th Straight Month as Concessions Give Renters More Leverage, Sep 17, 2026
- Federal Housing Finance Agency: FHFA House Price Index® Up 0.3 Percent in July; Up 2.6 Percent from Last Year | FHFA, Sep 29, 2026
- Redfin: Redfin Reports U.S. Home Prices Rose 0.25% From a Month Earlier in August, Sep 22, 2026
- Redfin: Price-Drop Rate Ticks Up to Record September Rate Amid Strong Buyer’s Market, Sep 30, 2026
- CNBC: Mortgage rates jump for the sixth straight week, hitting both refinance and homebuyer demand hard, Sep 30, 2026
- No Real Estate Data Aggregator numbers for 29207, so this part is from websites alone.