It appears that when a user selects a value from a dropdown list, the selected data source object is being assigned to the model property instead of assigning the selected value property to the model property. I am able to correct this issue by binding to the change event of the view model and if the property of the model that is bound to the dropdown is changed then correct the value. However, I would like to avoid that type of if at all possible. Please let me know if you have any questions or need sample code.