Central Ohio's housing market has slipped from its 2020-2022 peak, when prices rose in double digits each year and buyers lined up to get their 15 minute walk-throughs and chance to bid. While Columbus-area prices continue to rise modestly — up 2.8% so far this year — sales are well off their highs from a few years ago.
But as the saying goes, real estate is all location, location, location, so we took a look at how different parts of central Ohio fared through the first six months of 2025 compared with the same period last year. Figures come from Columbus Realtors.
Where are homes the most expensive?
With a median sales price of $800,000 during the first half of the year, New Albany is the most expensive community in central Ohio, followed by Powell ($675,000), Bexley ($636,250) and Dublin ($630,000).
When size of home is considered, however, German Village tops the list. Homes there sell for an average of $384.50 per square foot, followed by Grandview Heights ($360.74) and Upper Arlington ($344.45).
The most affordable?
Whitehall, with a median sales price of $210,000, is the least expensive city in central Ohio, and the only Franklin County city with a median price below Columbus's $280,000 median price point. Buyers otherwise tend to get the best deals the farther they get from Columbus, where a handful of areas offer median prices at or under $250,000: Lancaster ($234,900), London ($250,000), Circleville ($249,857), Newark ($233,750) and Washington Court House ($220,000).
On a square-foot basis, Washington Court House, where homes sell for $148.13 per square foot, is the most-affordable market in central Ohio, followed by a string of communities where homes sell between $170 and $180 a square foot: Newark, Obetz, London, Circleville, Lancaster and Whitehall.
Where have homes appreciated the most?
The median price of a home in Powell jumped from $550,000 in the first six months of 2024 to $675,000 in the same period this year, a 22.7% leap, by far the largest in central Ohio. Some of the bump can be attributed to so many of Powell's homes being new, which tend to elevate prices. Three other communities, Granville, Gahanna and Bexley, also saw prices jump more than 11% from a year ago. And the affordable Washington Court House saw the median price climb nearly 16%, from $190,000 a year ago to $220,000 this year.
The least?
Several communities and at least one Columbus neighborhood saw double-digit declines in median prices, a relative rarity in central Ohio. The median price of Grandview Heights homes fell 16.7%, or more than $100,000, from a year ago, possibly because of an unusual number of homes landing on the market, giving buyers more bargaining power. Prices for Downtown homes, which are dominated by condos, also fell 16%. Two other communities, London and Obetz, saw prices drop more than 10%.
Where are homes selling the fastest?
The days of typical central Ohio homes selling in a week appear over, at least for now. But some communities definitely remain hot, led by Worthington, where homes went into contract in an average of 14 days during the first half of the year. Other cities with quick sales: Westerville (16 days), Upper Arlington (18 days) and Bexley and Grandview Heights (each 19 days).
The slowest?
Homes in urban neighborhoods, which are disproportionately condominiums, took the longest to sell during the first half of the year. Downtown homes took an average of 65 days to sell, and in the Short North they took 58 days. In several other areas, homes took more than a month to land in contract, led by New Albany and Lancaster, where they took an average of 39 days.
Where are sales climbing?
Home sales in Bexley jumped nearly 30% from a year ago, boosted in part by a 28% leap in listings. Sales also rose more than 20% in the London and Marysville areas, which also saw listings climb more than 20%.
Falling?
In Obetz, home sales fell nearly in half, from 55 last year to 29 this year, which could be a reflection of the small market size. In Worthington, sales were off 36.5% and in Whitehall they were down 20%.
Real estate and Development Reporter Jim Weiker can be reached at [email protected] and at 614-284-3697. Follow him @JimWeiker
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Looking for an affordable home in central Ohio? Check out Lancaster
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