In the D.C. area, where the majority of federal workers that were furloughed live, you would think buyers of real estate would have taken a break from house searches until the area's largest employer got back to work. But the numbers tell a different story. 
Looking over the pending sales (contracts written), buyers kept competing on the low inventory of homes during the shut down. Measuring the contract writing from October 1 - 15, 2013 showed that overall, buyers wrote 19.5% more contracts than the same time last year.
Shut Down Chart
Contracts in Northern Virginia as a whole were flat with an increase of 1.1%, but the other areas surrounding surged ahead.
Prince George's County, MD saw the largest increase with 39% (PG Co., was also the hardest hit after the housing bubble popped). Montgomery County was up 36%; while D.C. came in at 23% above the same period last year.