Tag Archives: housing market

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Washington State NWMLS Market Update for March 2026


Market Recap

A continued rise in inventory, combined with renewed pressure from rising mortgage rates, defined Washington’s housing market in March as listings climbed sharply while sales remained largely unchanged.

Active listings rose 29.3% year over year to 15,049 homes, with nearly every county reporting gains and 20 of 27 counties posting double-digit increases.

Closed sales totaled 5,417 in March, up just 0.2% from a year ago, though activity picked up significantly from February with a nearly 31% month-over-month increase. The median sales price was $640,000, down 1.5% year over year but up 3.2% from February. Total sales volume reached $4.29 billion across residential and condominium transactions.

“Washington continues to mirror national trends by adding listings at a rate that is far outpacing any growth in sales,” said Steven Bourassa, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research. “Active listings in the NWMLS service area in March 2026 increased 29% year over year, while the number of sales remained unchanged. In a nutshell, sellers have decided that they need to get on with their lives in spite of the fact that many would be giving up low-interest-rate mortgages. However, potential purchasers cannot afford to buy.”

Bourassa added that rising global uncertainty—including the recent conflict with Iran—has pushed mortgage rates back up to 6.38% by the end of March after briefly dipping below 6% in February. The last time rates were this high was in early September 2025.

Key Takeaways

Active Listings

  • The total number of properties listed for sale increased 29.3% year over year, with 15,049 active listings on the market at the end of March 2026, compared to 11,640 at the end of March 2025. Month over month, active inventory increased 12.8%, up from 13,341 in February 2026.
  • Nearly all NWMLS counties experienced year-over-year inventory growth, with 20 of 27 counties posting double-digit increases.

Closed Sales

  • Closed sales increased by 0.2% year over year, with 5,417 transactions in March 2026 compared to 5,406 in March 2025. Month over month, sales increased by nearly 31%, up from 4,139 in February 2026.
  • Year over year, closed sales increased in 14 of 27 counties, while 13 counties saw decreases.

Median Sales Price

  • The median sales price for residential homes and condominiums sold in March 2026 was $640,000, a 1.5% decrease from March 2025 ($649,999). Month over month, the median price increased 3.2% from $620,000 in February 2026.

Source: NWMLS 4/2/26

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National Housing Snapshot for February 2026


Existing-home sales increased by 1.7% month-over-month in February, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Existing-Home Sales Report.

Month-over-month sales rose in the Midwest, South and West, and fell in the Northeast. Year-over-year sales rose in the South and fell in the Northeast, Midwest and West.

Affordability improved for the eighth consecutive month, according to NAR’s Housing Affordability Index—increasing to 117.6 in February from 117.1 in January and 103.1 a year ago. This marks the highest level since March 2022.

“Housing affordability is improving, and consumers are responding,” said NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. “Still, there is a long way to go to return to pre-pandemic levels of transaction activity. There are more than 6 million more jobs than in 2019, yet home sales per year are down by one million.”

“Despite the modest gain in home sales, actual housing demand remains muted relative to wage growth and job gains,” Yun continued. “Wage growth is now outpacing home price growth by almost four percentage points. Mortgage rates are also measurably lower compared to a year ago.”

“Inventory is growing, but sluggishly,” he added. “If demand picks up notably in the coming months and outpaces supply growth, home prices will inevitably rise. That is why increasing supply is so important to help limit home price growth, improve housing affordability, and boost transactions.”

Month-Over-Month

  • 1.7% increase in existing-home sales—seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million in February
  • 2.4% increase in unsold inventory—1.29 million units equal to 3.8 months’ supply

Year-Over-Year

  • 1.4% decrease in existing-home sales
  • 0.3% increase in median existing-home sales price to $398,000

Read more details, including regional data, here…

Source: National Association of REALTORS® 3/10/26

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Washington State NWMLS Market Update for February 2026


Market Recap

Inventory continued to expand across the region in February, providing buyers with significantly more options than a year ago. Active listings increased nearly 28% year over year to 13,341 properties, with 19 of 27 counties posting double-digit gains. Compared to January, inventory rose 7.8%, signaling continued seller participation heading into the spring market.

Closed sales totaled 4,139 transactions, down 3% from February 2025 but up 19.5% from January. The median sales price for residential homes and condominiums reached $620,000, down 1.6% from last year while rising 4.2% compared to the prior month.

Key Takeaways

Active Listings

  • The total number of properties listed for sale increased nearly 28% year over year, with 13,341 active listings on the market at the end of February 2026, compared to 10,448 at the end of February 2025. Month over month, active inventory increased by 7.8%, up from 12,376 in January 2026.

Closed Sales

  • Closed sales decreased 3% year over year, with 4,139 sales in February 2026 compared to 4,268 in February 2025. Month over month, sales increased 19.5%, up from 3,465 in January 2026.

Median Sales Price

  • The median sales price for residential homes and condominiums sold in February 2026 was $620,000, a 1.6% decrease from February 2025 ($630,000). Month over month, the median price increased 4.2% from $595,000 in January 2026.

Source: NWMLS 3/4/26

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National Housing Snapshot for January 2026


Existing-home sales decreased by 8.4% in January, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Existing-Home Sales Report.

Month-over-month and year-over-year sales fell in all regions.

“The decrease in sales is disappointing. The below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation this January make it harder than usual to assess the underlying driver of the decrease and determine if this month’s numbers are an aberration,” said NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. “Affordability conditions are improving, with NAR’s Housing Affordability Index showing that housing is the most affordable it’s been since March 2022. This is due to wage gains outpacing home price growth and mortgage rates being lower than a year ago. However, supply has not kept pace and remains quite low.”

“Due to low supply, the median home price reached a new high for the month of January,” Yun added. “Homeowners are in a financially comfortable position as a result. Since January 2020, a typical homeowner would have accumulated $130,500 in housing wealth.”

Affordability improved for the seventh consecutive month, according to NAR’s Housing Affordability Index—increasing to 116.5 in January from 111.6 in December and 102 a year ago.

Total Existing-Home Sales

  • 8.4% decrease in existing-home sales month over month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.91 million.
  • 4.4% decrease in sales year over year.

Inventory

  • 1.22 million units: Total housing inventory, down 0.8% from December and up 3.4% from January 2025 (1.18 million).
  • 3.7-month supply of unsold inventory, up from 3.5 months in December and one year ago.

Median Sales Price

  • $396,800: Median existing-home price for all housing types, up 0.9% from one year ago ($393,400) – the 31st consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

Read more details, including regional data, here…

Source: National Association of REALTORS® 2/12/26

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Washington State NWMLS Market Update for January 2026


Market Recap

January housing market data shows a continuation of recent trends, with growing inventory outpacing buyer demand across much of Washington state. Active listings increased nearly 21% year over year, while closed sales declined 7% and median prices fell 3%.

“Substantial year-over-year growth in active listings continues to be accompanied by much slower, even negative growth in sales and median prices,” said Steven Bourassa, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at the University of Washington.

Compared to December, inventory rose nearly 6% in January, while closed sales dropped 31% and median prices declined about 3%. The data suggests more homeowners are willing to sell, while affordability constraints continue to limit buyer participation.

Key Takeaways

Active Listings

  • The total number of properties listed for sale increased 20.9% year over year, with 12,376 active listings on the market at the end of January 2026, compared to 10,241 at the end of January 2025. Month over month, active inventory increased by 5.6%, up from 11,718 in December 2025.

Closed Sales

  • Closed sales decreased 7% year over year, with 3,465 transactions in January 2026 compared to 3,727 in January 2025. Month over month, sales decreased 30.8% from 5,010 in December 2025.

Median Sales Price

  • The median sales price for residential homes and condominiums sold in January 2026 was $595,000, down 3.25% from January 2025 ($615,000). Month over month, the median price declined 2.8% from $612,250 in December 2025.
  • The counties with the highest median sales prices were San Juan ($969,000), King ($770,000), and Snohomish ($678,500), while the lowest median prices were recorded in Columbia ($265,000), Okanogan ($330,000), and Grant ($339,900).

Source: NWMLS 2/4/26

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National Housing Snapshot for December 2025



Existing-home sales increased by 5.1% in December, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Existing-Home Sales Report. Month-over-month sales increased in all regions. Year-over-year sales increased in the South, remained flat in the Midwest and West, and decreased in the Northeast.

Total Existing-Home Sales for December

  • 5.1% increase in existing-home sales month over month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.35 million.
  • 1.4% increase in sales year over year.

Inventory in December

  • 1.18 million units: Total housing inventory, down 18.1% from November and up 3.5% from December 2024 (1.14 million).
  • 3.3-month supply of unsold inventory, down from 4.2 months in November and up from 3.2 months in December 2024.

Median Sales Price in December

  • $405,400: Median existing-home price for all housing types, up 0.4% from one year ago ($403,700) – the 30th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

Read more details, including regional data, here…

Source: National Association of REALTORS® 1/14/26

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Washington State NWMLS Annual Market Review for 2025



Inventory Rose and Prices Held Steady

Sales Recap

The number of closed sales showed a slight year-over-year increase of 0.21%, up by 141 transactions compared to 2024’s total of 67,788. Total dollar volume also edged upward from just under $54.5 billion.

The median sales price for completed transactions reached $644,500, a 0.7% increase over 2024’s median of $640,000. For perspective, the median price in 2015 was $310,000, illustrating a decade of sustained home value growth. Homes sold for an average of 99.6% of the list price, reflecting a market that has gradually shifted away from the extremely competitive bidding conditions seen in earlier years.

Despite increased inventory, affordability constraints continued to weigh on market activity. Average active listings rose more than 34% compared to 2024, while new listings increased by only 8.9%, implying a longer time on the market for listings. As a result, sales transactions remained virtually unchanged, and median prices rose by less than 1%.

Listing Activity

When reviewing the overall inventory of all active listings, on average there were 16,007 active listings in the NWMLS database each month in 2025, a 34.4% increase from 2024’s average of 11,910.

Months of supply averaged 2.83 months, an improvement from the previous year’s 2.11 months, but still short of the 4–6 months typically associated with a balanced market. Inventory levels were lowest in March at 2.15 months and highest in September at 3.25 months.

Source: NWMLS 1/15/26

Feel free to contact me for more details and/or statistical graphs!

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Washington State NWMLS Market Update for December 2025


Market Recap

The housing market in December closely mirrored conditions seen in October and November, continuing a pattern of rising inventory and softening prices. Active listings increased 23% year over year, while prices declined by approximately 2% for the third consecutive month compared to the same period in 2024. Closed sales rose just 4% from December 2024, indicating that buyer activity has not kept pace with the increasing inventory.

Key Takeaways

Active Listings

  • The total number of properties listed for sale increased 23% year over year, with 11,718 active listings on the market at the end of December 2025, compared to 9,524 at the end of December 2024. Month over month, active inventory declined by 24.7% (3,839 listings), down from 15,557 in November 2025.

Closed Sales

  • Closed sales increased 4.1% year over year, with 5,010 transactions in December 2025 compared to 4,812 in December 2024. Month over month, sales rose 2.9% from 4,870 in November 2025.

Median Sales Price

  • The median sales price for residential homes and condominiums sold in December 2025 was $612,250, down 1.8% from December 2024 ($623,500). Month over month, the median price declined 2.8% from $630,000 in November 2025.
  • The counties with the highest median sales prices were San Juan ($900,000), King ($808,500), and Snohomish ($730,000), while the lowest median prices were recorded in Columbia ($237,500), Okanogan ($300,000), and Pacific ($365,000).

Source: NWMLS 1/6/26

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National Housing Snapshot for November 2025


Existing-home sales increased by 0.5% in November, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Existing-Home Sales Report. The Report provides the real estate ecosystem, including agents and homebuyers and sellers, with data on the level of home sales, price, and inventory.

Month-over-month sales increased in the Northeast and South, showed no change in the West, and fell in the Midwest. Year-over-year sales showed no change in the Northeast and South, and decreased in the Midwest and West.

“Existing-home sales increased for the third straight month due to lower mortgage rates this autumn,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “However, inventory growth is beginning to stall. With distressed property sales at historic lows and housing wealth at an all-time high, homeowners are in no rush to list their properties during the winter months.”

Total Existing-Home Sales for November

  • 0.5% increase in existing-home sales month over month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.13 million.
  • 1.0% decrease in sales year over year.

Inventory in November

  • 1.43 million units: Total housing inventory, down 5.9% from October and up 7.5% from November 2024 (1.33 million).
  • 4.2-month supply of unsold inventory, down from 4.4 months in October and up from 3.8 months in November 2024.

Median Sales Price in November

  • $409,200: Median existing-home price for all housing types, up 1.2% from one year ago ($404,400) – the 29th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

Read more details here…

Source: National Association of REALTORS® 12/19/25

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Washington State NWMLS Market Update for November 2025

Market Recap

November 2025 saw more homes on the market year-over-year, with active listings up nearly 24%. Month-over-month, inventory declined as expected for this time of year, reflecting the typical seasonal slowdown heading into winter. Closed sales softened as well, falling 10.6% compared to last year and 21.7% month-over-month. The median sales price edged down slightly to $630,000.

Buyer activity remained steady, with property showings holding close to last year’s levels. Nearly 76% of listings were eligible for the NWMLS Down Payment Resource program, offering continued support and opportunities for homebuyers. Overall, the data reflects a market experiencing rising supply, moderate price adjustments, and stable buyer engagement heading into winter.

“Mortgage interest rates leveled off in November, ending the month at 6.23%. Persistent interest rates, combined with the usual seasonal downturn at this time of the year, have caused prices and sales to drop both month-over-month and year-over-year.” said Steven Bourassa, Director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at the University of Washington.

Key Takeaways

Active Listings

  • There was a 23.9% increase in total number of properties listed for sale year-over-year, with 15,557 active listings on the market at the end of November 2025, compared to 12,558 at the end of November 2024. When compared to the previous month, active inventory decreased by 3,234 listings (-17.2%), down from 18,791 in October 2025.
  • The number of homes for sale year-over-year increased in all of NWMLS’s coverage area, with 20 out of 27 counties seeing a double-digit year-over-year increase.

Closed Sales

  • The number of closed sales decreased by 10.6% year-over-year (4,870 in November 2025 compared to 5,446 in November 2024). When compared to the previous month, the number of closed sales decreased by 21.7%, down from 6,222 sales in October 2025.
  • 18 out of 27 counties saw a decrease in the number of closed sales year-over-year, while 6 saw an increase, and 3 showed no change.

Median Sales Price

  • The median sales price for residential homes and condominiums sold in November 2025 was $630,000 — a decrease of 2.3% when compared to November 2024 ($645,000). Compared to the previous month, the median price decreased by 1.6% ($640,000 in October 2025).
  • The three counties with the highest median sale prices were San Juan ($1,025,000), King ($830,000), and Snohomish ($719,000).

Source: NWMLS 12/3/25