OwnRVA Public Research · August 2026
Updated: September 30, 2026. Published: September 29, 2026.
Counts and shares of pending sales that fell out of contract in Richmond city, Henrico and Chesterfield.
Question this report answers
How often did pending home purchases cancel across the three jurisdictions in August 2026?
Concise answer
Chesterfield had the highest cancellation count and share in August 2026, while Henrico had the lowest share. The county pattern does not identify the cause of a failed contract, so inspection, financing, appraisal, title and mutual-release scenarios remain separate questions.
What the source reports
| Measure | Richmond city | Henrico County | Chesterfield County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase cancellations | 23 | 28 | 74 |
| Share of pending sales canceled | 10.3% | 8.0% | 15.6% |
| YoY change in cancellation share | -2.7 percentage points | -2.4 percentage points | 5.4 percentage points |
How to read the result
Chesterfield had the highest cancellation count and share in August 2026, while Henrico had the lowest share. The county pattern does not identify the cause of a failed contract, so inspection, financing, appraisal, title and mutual-release scenarios remain separate questions.
Decision context
Chesterfield had the highest cancellation count and share in August 2026, while Henrico had the lowest share. The county pattern does not identify the cause of a failed contract, so inspection, financing, appraisal, title and mutual-release scenarios remain separate questions. This is a dated county-level signal, not a property-level recommendation or forecast. Before acting, compare the home with same-type current competition and recent closed sales, then account for location, condition, concessions, association terms, financing and timing. The source period, geography and property-type definition should stay attached to the conclusion so a broad market statistic is not mistaken for proof about one home. It does not replace appraisal, inspection, lending, tax, legal, association, insurance or title advice, and it does not establish why a listing changed, whether a contract will close, or how any individual buyer or seller should proceed.
What buyers can do with it
A disciplined offer should preserve a clear financing file, realistic cash-to-close plan and property-specific diligence. Competitive pressure is not a reason to ignore risks that can prevent closing.
What sellers can do with it
Backup-offer strategy, complete disclosures, pre-listing maintenance decisions and careful review of financing strength can reduce uncertainty, but no county statistic guarantees a contract will close.
Method and limits
The public dataset counts cancellations and their share of pending sales; it does not provide reason codes or determine fault.
Values were extracted from the provider's public county-level file or report, normalized to a common jurisdiction label, and checked for duplicate jurisdiction-period records. No client MLS export or private customer data were used. Provider definitions remain authoritative and may be revised.
Source access: Redfin Data Center. Public source snapshot assembled September 29, 2026. Remote acquisition time is not independently attested; local persistence time and file hash are retained in the preparation ledger.
Frequently asked questions
How often did pending home purchases cancel across the three jurisdictions in August 2026?
Chesterfield had the highest cancellation count and share in August 2026, while Henrico had the lowest share. The county pattern does not identify the cause of a failed contract, so inspection, financing, appraisal, title and mutual-release scenarios remain separate questions.
Can this county-level result predict the outcome for one property?
No. The public dataset counts cancellations and their share of pending sales; it does not provide reason codes or determine fault. A property-specific decision still requires current same-type comparisons, condition, terms and location.
Michela Worthington