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Washington State NWMLS Market Update for April 2025



Market Recap

As spring gets underway, inventory levels are high but the pace of sales is relatively slow. The number of active listings showed double-digit year-over-year increases in most counties when compared to April 2024, demonstrating that homeowners are primed and ready to sell.

Buyers were granted a bit of a reprieve as mortgage rates stayed relatively consistent throughout April, finishing out the month at 6.76% – the same rate as the end of March 2025. In addition, the median sales price for residential and condominium sales stayed virtually unchanged from March 2025, increasing from $649,999 to $650,000 in April 2025.

“As the number of sellers continues to outpace buyers, it is not surprising that price growth has slowed,” said Steven Bourassa, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research (WCRER). Recent media coverage identifies not only socioeconomic uncertainties such as tariffs and inflation, but also the willingness of both buyers and sellers to make concessions as potential factors in final sales prices in the last month.


Key Takeaways

Active Listings

  • There was a 47.4% increase year-over-year in the total number of properties listed for sale in the NWMLS service area. There were 14,459 active listings on the market at the end of April 2025,compared to 9,813 at the end of April 2024.
  • When compared to the previous month, active inventory increased by 2,819 listings (+24.2%), up from 11,640 in March 2025.
  • The number of homes for sale year-over-year increased throughout the NWMLS coverage area, with 24 out of 26 counties seeing a double-digit year-over-year increase. The six counties with the highest increases in active inventory were Snohomish (+84.8%), Columbia (+76.9%), King (+71.3%), Clallam (+70.7%), Whatcom (+68.1%) and Grant (+59.8%).

Closed Sales and Months of Inventory

  • The number of closed sales slightly increased by 0.7% year-over-year, up from 5,847 in April 2024 to 5,887 in April 2025. When compared to the previous month, the number of closed sales increased by 8.9%, up from 5,406 sales in March 2025.
  • A balanced market is considered around 4 to 6 months of inventory by most industry experts. At the current rate of sales, it would take around two and a half months (2.46) to sell every home that is active in the NWMLS inventory.

Median Sales Price and Total Dollar Value

  • Overall, the median price for residential homes and condominiums sold in April 2025 was $650,000, a slight decrease of 0.2% when compared to April 2024 ($651,000). When compared to last month, the median price was virtually unchanged ($649,999 in March 2025).
  • The three counties with the highest median sale prices were King ($907,000), Snohomish ($755,500) and San Juan ($665,000), and the three counties with the lowest median sale prices were Okanogan ($289,000), Columbia ($305,000) and Adams ($310,000).

Source: NWMLS 5/6/25



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Designers Offer Outdoor Space Tips

When it comes to tackling your outdoor living spaces, it’s always important to think about how they function for daily use, entertaining, and year-round living. Selecting the right materials that can stand up to the weather (and pollen!) is also key to a long-lasting outdoor spot.

Here are 7 secrets that’ll help you make the most out of your outdoor living area—plus a few extra tips—from Southern interior and landscape design pros.




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National Housing Snapshot for March 2025



Existing-home sales slipped 5.9% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million. Sales slowed 2.4% from one year ago.

The median existing-home sales price climbed 2.7% from March 2024 to $403,700, an all-time high for the month of March and the 21st consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

The inventory of unsold existing homes jumped 8.1% from the previous month to 1.33 million at the end of March, or the equivalent of 4.0 months’ supply at the current monthly sales pace.

Read more details here…

Source: National Association of REALTORS® 4/24/25




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NAR & NWMLS Support Fair Housing with Listing Policies



There was a time, before multiple listing services existed, that brokers marketed property only through yard signs, word of mouth and individual advertising. That one-to-one marketing system limited exposure. Using code words or not, it was easy to control who was able to purchase property when property was advertised only to certain people. A buyer who was not deemed suitable by the real estate broker and the seller would never learn of the availability of the property. With the advent of the MLS, a listed property is marketed broadly, to all potential buyers, regardless of whether the buyer is known to the listing broker and regardless of what the buyer looks like or how the buyer thinks. Most MLSs introduce property to worldwide buyers through a download to various real estate internet sites through syndication and IDX feeds. The ability to expose a seller’s property to the broadest market is the very reason MLSs were created in every corner of the country.

In Washington, most residential brokers are members of NAR and/or NWMLS and most residential brokers find value in marketing residential property through the MLS to which the broker belongs. For decades, NWMLS rules have required listing brokers to input their listings in the NWMLS database for sharing with other brokers and buyers. More recently, NAR adopted a similar policy known as the Clear Cooperation Policy. These policies undeniably further fair housing goals. The policies have some key differences but the over-arching driver for both policies is the same: when a marketed property receives broad exposure, more buyers have an opportunity to purchase the property, regardless of whether the buyer knows the listing broker or not. There are benefits to sellers when more buyers view seller’s property. In very general terms, more buyers for a property will typically improve the seller’s price and terms through competitive negotiations.

Common sense suggests and history shows that the best way to provide exposure of seller’s property to the largest number of buyers and buyers who demonstrate a diversity of background and thought, is through the MLS. The MLS is the one and only central repository for information regarding the availability of real estate in a localized area. While there are lots of websites and other real estate promotional opportunities, each MLS offers the most comprehensive database of available properties within its region. It is the only reliably viable option for buyers to view property outside the presence of seller and listing broker. Thus, an MLS policy creating an obligation on listing brokers to market residential property through the MLS is a policy that promotes the goals of fair housing.

If a broker operates outside the framework of the broker’s MLS to market property, many buyers, if not most, will never know the property is available. “Pocket listings”, or as they are sometimes called, “shadow listings” or “off-market listings”, will be seen only by the buyers who are introduced to the property by the listing broker or the seller. This begs a simple question. If a property’s availability is exposed only to acquaintances of seller or listing broker, what is the likelihood that the property will be exposed to potential buyers who look and think differently from seller and listing broker? Said differently, what is the likelihood that a property which is made available only to the acquaintances of seller and listing broker will sell to a buyer who is a member of a protected class under fair housing laws? Any chance is significantly diminished as neighborhoods retain long established consistency of race, religion and other immutable characteristics.

As is the case with seemingly all industry policies these days, there is enormous controversy and confusion swirling around these MLS mandatory listing policies. Politics, personal biases, fears and uncertainty often drive frustration and anger. Cutting through all the chaos, these MLS listing policies result in a goal that every real estate broker should be able to cheer. The policies result in a market where every buyer, regardless of color, creed, religion, sexual preference, disability or any other immutable characteristic has access to purchase residential property. There should be no confusion or controversy. That is a worthy goal and policies designed to achieve that goal should be embraced by all industry members.

(Excerpt from Washington Realtors® News & Media; written by Annie Fitzsimmons, WR Legal Hotline Lawyer)

Link to the full article…




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26102 147th Pl SE, Kent, WA 98042


$629,950

3 bedrooms; 1.75 bathrooms; 1,680 finished square feet + 1,300 unfinished basement

Discover this beautifully maintained and private custom home nestled on a quiet street, backing to a serene forest and the scenic Soos Creek Trail – perfect for outdoor enthusiasts! Minutes from Soos Creek & Lake Meridian Parks, plus convenient access to Costco, Trader Joes, dining and shopping. This charming residence features Hardiplank siding, a newer roof with leaf guard gutters, updated windows, and a heat pump with A/C. Interior highlights include a newly remodeled primary bathroom, updated kitchen & full bath, bamboo flooring, new lighting, switches, and outlets. Enjoy the 1-car garage with workshop space & no HOA. The 1300 sq ft unfinished basement, already plumbed for a ¾ bath, offers endless potential. Don’t miss this opportunity!

A link to more details, photos, floor plan and the 360 degree tour on my website…

Sold 5/19/25



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Washington State NWMLS Market Update for March 2025



Market Recap

March’s market activity showed some expected seasonal growth as we move into spring, but an imbalance still lingers between buyers and sellers.

30-year mortgage rates dropped from 6.76% to 6.65%, a slight enticement for buyers who are keeping a diligent eye on the market. Sellers looking to take early advantage of seasonal transitions boosted NWMLS’s active listings nearly 44% year-over-year from March 2024.


Key Takeaways

Active and New Listings

  • There was a 43.7% increase year-over-year in the total number of properties listed for sale in the NWMLS service area. There were 11,640 active listings on the market at the end of March 2025, with 21 out of 26 counties seeing a double-digit increase compared to March 2024. When compared to the previous month, active inventory increased by 1,192 listings (+11.4%), up from 10,448 in February 2025.
  • The six counties with the highest increases in active inventory were Snohomish (+83.1%), Whatcom (+63.1%), King (+59.8%), Cowlitz +(51.7%), Kittitas (+48.3%) and Grant (+43.8%).
  • NWMLS brokers added 9,161 new listings in March 2025, a year-over-year increase of 14.1% compared to March 2024 (8,028). When compared to February 2025, new listings increased by 44.4%, when 6,346 listings were added.

Closed Sales

  • There were 5,406 closed sales in March 2025, an increase of 4.7% year-over-year compared to 5,165 in March 2024. When compared to February 2025, the number of closed sales increased by 26.7%, up from 4,268 sales.

Median Sales Price

  • Overall, the median price for residential homes and condominiums sold in March 2025 was $649,999, an increase of 2.6% when compared to March 2024 ($633,717).
  • The three counties with the highest median sale prices were San Juan ($870,000), King ($855,000) and Snohomish ($755,000), and the three counties with the lowest median sale prices were Columbia ($220,000), Ferry ($268,725) and Grays Harbor ($335,100).

Source: NWMLS 4/3/25



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National Housing Snapshot for February 2025



Existing-home sales advanced 4.2% in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.26 million. Sales slipped 1.2% from one year ago.

The median existing-home sales price rose 3.8% from February 2024 to $398,400, the 20th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

The inventory of unsold existing homes climbed 5.1% from the prior month to 1.24 million at the end of February, or the equivalent of 3.5 months’ supply at the current monthly sales pace.

Read more details here…

Source: National Association of Realtors 3/20/25




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Buying a Home May Help Shield You from Inflation



It feels like everything is getting more expensive these days. That’s because inflation has remained higher than normal for longer than expected – and that’s impacting the costs of goods, services, and more. And with rising costs all around you, you’re probably questioning: is now really the right time to buy a home?

Read more…





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Curved Furniture Softens Interiors


Interior designers are embracing a range of trends for spring 2025, including furniture with softer outlines, buttery yellows, polished nickel accents and customized kitchens with unique materials.

Read more…



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3 Design Trends to Make Your Listing Cozier


Color, texture and patterns make for more playful backgrounds in unique, cozy spaces. In home staging, you can still embrace this hot trend, even without getting too wild.

Read more…