Who this is for
Informational — readers want current Seattle numbers and a plain-English read on whether it's a buyer's or seller's market right now.
Key takeaways
- Median sale price across the Seattle metro is roughly $860K, up modestly year over year rather than spiking.
- Inventory has recovered to about 2.2 months of supply — still a seller's market, but no longer a frenzy.
- Well-priced Eastside homes in strong school assignments still draw multiple offers; anything overpriced sits.
- Buyers finally have leverage on inspection and timeline terms, even where they don't have it on price.
Where prices actually sit this month
The headline number people ask about first is the median. Across the Seattle metro it is sitting near $860,000, a low-single-digit increase against the same month last year. That is a very different market from 2021, when double-digit annual gains were normal. What we have now is a market that grinds upward instead of leaping.
The metro median also hides enormous spread. A Bellevue single-family home clears well above the metro figure while a Renton townhome sits comfortably below it. When you are budgeting, the metro median is close to useless — the number that matters is the median for your city, your price band, and your school assignment.
Figures below reflect NWMLS and Redfin reporting for the period noted and are refreshed monthly. Ranges are market indications, not appraisals.
| Submarket | Median sale price | YoY | Median days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle city | $885K | +3.1% | 14 |
| Bellevue | $1.62M | +4.4% | 11 |
| Kirkland | $1.38M | +3.6% | 13 |
| Redmond | $1.34M | +3.9% | 12 |
| Renton | $755K | +2.2% | 18 |
Inventory is the real story
Months of supply across King County has moved back to roughly 2.2. Anything under three months is still technically a seller's market, but the difference between 0.6 months and 2.2 months is felt on every single transaction. Buyers get to see a property twice. They get to sleep on it. Sometimes they get to ask for a repair.
For sellers, that shift punishes optimistic pricing more than it punishes the market. Homes priced to the last comparable sale go pending in under two weeks. Homes priced to what the seller hoped 2022 would deliver sit for forty days and then take a price reduction that costs more than pricing correctly would have.
What it means if you're buying
You can negotiate again — just not always on price. In the last sixty days we have written accepted offers with inspection contingencies, seller-paid rate buydowns, and thirty-five-day closes in submarkets where none of that was possible two years ago. Terms are where the value is hiding.
The exception is the top school assignments. Homes feeding Somerset, Clyde Hill, and the Lake Washington district's strongest elementary boundaries still see three to six offers when they are priced right and presented well. If that is your target, plan for a competitive offer and be pre-underwritten, not just pre-approved.
- Get pre-underwritten, not just pre-approved — it is worth roughly a full contingency in a competitive review.
- Ask for a rate buydown before you ask for a price cut; sellers guard the headline number.
- In slower submarkets, homes past 30 days on market are the best negotiation targets.
What it means if you're selling
Pricing at or slightly under the last strong comparable is still producing the best net result. It concentrates showing traffic in the first ten days, which is when buyer attention is highest, and it creates the conditions for a competitive review rather than a single negotiated offer.
Preparation matters more this year than last. With more choices, buyers reward the home that shows best on the same street. Paint, floors, light, and professional photography routinely return several times their cost in this market — and they shorten days on market, which itself protects the price.
The rest of 2026
Two forces will decide the second half. The first is rates: every meaningful move down releases a wave of buyers who have been waiting, which tightens inventory again within weeks. The second is regional hiring, especially in AI and cloud infrastructure, which continues to concentrate high-income demand on the Eastside.
Our working assumption is continued modest appreciation with seasonal softening in late autumn. That means a buyer who finds the right house should not wait for a crash that the fundamentals do not support, and a seller with a 2026 timeline should not push the listing into December.
Frequently asked questions
Is now a good time to buy in Seattle?+
If you plan to hold five years or more and your payment is comfortable, yes. Inventory near 2.2 months gives you inspection and timeline leverage you did not have in 2021-2022, and prices are rising slowly rather than accelerating away from you.
Are Seattle home prices going to drop in 2026?+
A broad drop is unlikely on current fundamentals — supply is still below balanced and regional job growth remains strong. What is realistic is flat-to-modest appreciation with seasonal softness in late autumn.
How long does it take to sell a home in Seattle right now?+
A correctly priced, well-prepared home is typically pending in 11 to 18 days depending on the submarket. Overpriced listings routinely pass 40 days and then sell below where they would have if priced correctly at launch.
Maggie Sun, Managing Broker
Maggie leads a Bellevue-based bilingual real estate team, advising buyers, sellers and investors across Bellevue, Seattle and the Eastside in English and Mandarin. Market figures in this article are sourced from NWMLS and Redfin reporting for the periods noted, and are refreshed as new data publishes. This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice.
Ask Maggie about your situation