Zillow shows a Hampton Roads median sale price of $297,000. Realtor.com shows $319,900. Both numbers are based on real data — they just measure completely different things. Understanding that gap is one of the most practical things a local buyer or seller can do right now.
Why Hampton Roads Housing Prices Vary by Source
The core issue is that different platforms track different things.
**Median sale price** (like Zillow's $297,000) reflects what homes actually closed for over a recent period. It's a transaction record — what buyers paid, what sellers accepted, what showed up at the courthouse.
**Median listing price** (like Realtor.com's $319,900) reflects what sellers are asking right now. It's an intention, not an outcome. And in any market, there's almost always a gap between asking and selling.
Neither number is wrong. But if you confuse them — if a seller prices based on listing data while buyers are negotiating to sale data — that's where costly mistakes happen.
In Virginia Beach, this gap matters especially in mid-range neighborhoods where inventory shifts quickly. A $22,900 difference between ask and close isn't unusual, and understanding it keeps your expectations grounded.
Which Number Should You Actually Use?
It depends on what you're trying to do.
• **If you're a buyer** making an offer, median sale price is your anchor. That's what comparable buyers actually paid. Use it to calibrate your offer — not the listing price trend.
• **If you're a seller** trying to price your home, listing data tells you what competition looks like, but sale data tells you what the market will actually bear. Find out what your home is worth →
• **If you're tracking market direction**, watch both numbers over time. When the gap between listing and sale price widens, that's a signal of softening demand. When it tightens, demand is picking up.
For military families on PCS orders working against a hard move-in deadline, this distinction is especially important. Overpaying relative to actual sale prices can create a difficult situation when it's time to sell or refinance — sometimes within 12–24 months.
What This Means For You
• Zillow's $297K and Realtor.com's $319,900 are both legitimate — they just measure different stages of the transaction
• Always ask which number you're looking at: asking price or closed sale price
• For pricing a home or writing an offer, closed sale comps from the MLS are the most reliable source Find out what your home is worth →
• Your agent should be able to pull actual sold data for your specific zip code — not just regional medians
Hampton Roads housing prices aren't a single number. They're a range, a direction, and a negotiation. The buyers and sellers who understand that tend to make better decisions — and avoid the frustration of anchoring to the wrong figure.
For a deeper look at how local market data breaks down by city, visit the Legacy Home Search blog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Zillow show a different home value than Realtor.com?
Zillow and Realtor.com often pull from different data sources and measure different things — Zillow's figures typically reflect recent closed sales, while Realtor.com often aggregates active listing prices. Neither platform has perfect local MLS access, which is why their numbers can diverge by tens of thousands of dollars in the same market.
What is the median home price in Hampton Roads right now?
As of late 2025, the median closed sale price in Hampton Roads was approximately $297,000 according to Zillow, while the median listing price was closer to $319,900 per Realtor.com and FRED data. The right benchmark depends on whether you're analyzing what homes are selling for or what sellers are currently asking.
How do I find accurate home prices for a specific Hampton Roads neighborhood?
The most accurate source for neighborhood-level pricing is closed sale data pulled directly from the local MLS — not aggregator sites. A Hampton Roads agent can pull sold comps filtered by zip code, property type, and time range, which gives you a far more precise picture than regional medians from national platforms.