January 14, 2026

Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® continues to help members communicate the latest real estate market conditions with a set of Monthly Residential Market Statistics for area counties and their respective school districts. Note that these monthly statistics cover all school districts in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. Philadelphia, and
select Berks County & New Castle County school districts are also available. The reports are updated between the 10th and the 12th of the month for the previous month’s statistics. If you have questions or requests, please contact Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® Director of Marketing and Communications, Lauren Davis.

An assortment of reports is also available to Bright MLS subscribers at BrightMLS.com such as a monthly Market Report, and a Marketing ToolKit to coincide. The Philadelphia Metro December 2025 Housing Market Report will also offer monthly market data in that region with infographics, charts, and more. Tri-County's major counties (Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery) are included in this report. For more detailed report, once logged into Bright MLS, click the "Market" tab and choose the "Market Statistics Report" button in the drop-down menu to access various reports.

Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® will be closed on Monday, January 19, 2026. Business hours will resume at 8:00 am on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. 

Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® members have until January 31, 2026 to pay their 2026 membership dues. During Cycle 3, which began on January 1, 2026, members must pay in full, there is no option to enroll in an installment plan in Cycle 3.

Your Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® membership continues to deliver unmatched value—providing access to tools and resources like Lone Wolf Transactions ($425 value), DocuSign ($240 value), Municipal Information Database ($200 value), Tech Helpline ($250 value), RISMedia ($249 value), FOREWARN ($300 value), and more—all included with your dues.

Members can access their dues invoice and pay their dues online via their Secure Member Portal. Once logged in, visit the My Orders tab. where you will find an Unpaid Order for your 2026 Membership Dues titled, “2026 Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® Annual Dues.” All membership dues (Tri-County Suburban REALTORS®, the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®) are NOT refundable or transferrable. Please visit tcsr.realtor/membership/duesbilling2026/ for all REALTOR® membership dues information.

For questions, please email duesbilling@tcsr.realtor or call 610-560-4800.

Licensed in Delaware but working in PA (or vice versa)? We’ve made renewal simple! The Association of REALTORS® School is offering all required Delaware and Pennsylvania continuing education courses (outside of agents in their first-time renewal)—all in one convenient location at The Red Clay Room in Kennett Square. Complete your DE + PA credits before the deadline, close to home, with trusted instruction designed for today’s real estate professional.

For all information and to register, please visit our calendar via tcsr.relator/events!

Our calendar now features a Sort By Category button to assist members & students with finding classes that fit their needs. Interested in DE classes? Select DE Credit from the Sort by Category button to find any upcoming class that offers DE Credit. Tight schedule? Sort further by Month. Or both! 

While 87% agree that green homes cost more than typical homes, 77% believe green homes will hold their value better than traditional homes, and 23% are planning green projects in 2026.  

American Home Shield reports that over the last five years, homeowners have spent an average of $8,735 on green improvements, and 21% said they planned to do a green home improvement project before the IRA tax credits ended at the end of 2025. Still, despite the early cutoff, 23% are planning green projects for this year. The primary motivations for these improvements include: cost savings on utilities (80%), environmental impact/sustainability (68%), personal health and well-being (42%), desire for self-sufficiency from the grid (37%), increased home value (29%). For the full article, available on PAR's JustListed blog, please click here.

Home sales are projected to increase in 2026 as affordability improves, but ongoing building consumer anxiety will provide a counterbalance to lower rates and more inventory. In a nationwide survey of more than 3,000 people age 18 and older, Bright MLS found that the majority of Americans are concerned about their economic situations and economic anxieties are being felt broadly across demographic groups.

More than three-quarters of respondents (77.1%) said they are “somewhat” or “very” worried they will have to cut back on essential spending next year.

More than eight out of 10 (80.5%) are “somewhat” or “very” worried they will have to cut back on discretionary spending next year.

Consumer spending accounts for roughly 70% of the U.S. economy. If consumers are feeling uncertain about their ability to pay for essentials or are planning to hold back on discretionary spending, we could see that translate into slower economic growth in 2026.

About two-thirds (66.2%) of Americans say they are “somewhat” or “very” worried there will be job cuts at their place of employment next year, and three out of five (60.5%) are worried they will personally lose their job or have their hours cut.

Over the past few months, we have seen labor market conditions weaken, with slower job growth and an uptick in the unemployment rate. While layoffs have not significantly increased, there have been reports in recent months of several high-profile companies laying off workers, which could be contributing to concerns about job security.

Nearly three-quarters (72.7%) of Americans say they are “somewhat” or “very” worried they will have trouble paying down debt or will have to take on more debt next year.

Household debt hit a record high at the end of 2025, and our survey indicates that individuals and families are feeling the pressure of that debt.

Source: Lisa Sturtevant, PhD, January 8, 2026 via Bright MLS

Upper Darby Township has begun charging fees for residential use and occupancy (U&O) inspections, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The U&O permit fee must be paid at the time of application. The fee for a single-family U&O inspection is $110, while duplex inspections cost $135. The fee includes two inspections — an initial inspection and one re-inspection — an approach suggested by Realtors and SRA staff members during a recent meeting with township officials. Any additional inspections will result in an additional $75 fee per inspection. Apartment buildings with three or more units and commercial properties are subject to a different fee schedule. A full list of fees related to U&O inspections, as well as the complete Department of Licenses and Inspections permit fee schedule, is available on the township website. The township website also notes a cancellation fee. Property transfer inspections that are canceled with less than 24 hours’ notice, or where access is not granted or the applicant fails to appear, will be assessed a $100 cancellation, failure-to-show or failure-to-grant-access fee.
Source: Upper Darby Township; 1/1/2026

January 15th | 4:00pm-7:00pm
2026 Board of Directors Installation
The Desmond Hotel, Malvern

January 16th | 9:00am-12:00pm
PA Req Agency Relationship Education 2024-2026
Association of REALTORS® School, Malvern

January 16th | 1:00pm-3:00pm
PA Req Fair Housing Education 2024-2026
Association of REALTORS® School, Malvern

January 21st | 9:00am 12:00pm
Avoiding the Pitfalls – An Ethical Approach to Practicing Real Estates (Module 2) *DE Credit
The Red Clay Room, Kennett Square

January 21st | 11:00am-1:30pm
2026 Commercial Economic Forecast
The Union League, Liberty Hill

Contact Us
610-560-4800
info@tcsr.realtor

Office
1 Country View Road
Suite 201
Malvern, PA 19355