Welcome to HomePro Associates, your go-to resource Seattle real estate market update. We are here to keep you informed with the latest market trends, key statistics, and insightful analysis of Seattle’s real estate landscape.
I’m Emily Cressey, a Seattle real estate broker with HomePro Associates, and I share these market updates to help buyers, sellers, and investors understand what’s really happening in the Seattle housing market.
Whether you’re buying, selling, or investing, our goal is to provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to make smart, confident decisions in today’s competitive market. From neighborhood insights to pricing trends, we cover all the essentials to help you navigate Seattle’s ever-evolving real estate environment.
Sign up now to get weekly market reports emailed to you directly, along with a few fun features about what’s happening around the Sound.
As we move into early 2026, Seattle’s housing market is coming out of its typical year-end slowdown and settling into a more balanced, predictable rhythm. The intense competition of prior years has eased, but the market has not stalled. Instead, we are seeing stability, with buyers and sellers operating on more even footing.
Inventory remains higher than it was a year ago, which continues to give buyers more choice and more leverage than they had during peak market conditions. Homes are generally taking longer to sell, and negotiated concessions like closing cost credits, inspection repairs, and rate buydown assistance have become common parts of successful deals.
Not all segments are behaving the same. Well-priced, move-in-ready homes, especially in the $700,000 to $1.1 million range, are still drawing strong interest in high-demand areas such as Ballard, West Seattle, Bellevue, and North Seattle. These homes can still sell quickly when pricing and presentation are right.
The Eastside condo market, particularly in Redmond, continues to stand out. With single-family home prices remaining high, many buyers, including tech employees along the 520 corridor, are choosing condos as a more attainable entry point. Demand remains steady for newer buildings and well-run communities.
Overall, today’s market rewards strategy. Buyers benefit from improved negotiating power and more time to make decisions, while sellers who price accurately and prepare their homes well are still achieving strong results.
If you are planning a move this winter or spring, a clear plan and current market insight will make all the difference.
🎥 Seattle Real Estate Market Update – December 2025
As we move into early 2026, Seattle’s real estate market is behaving much as expected after the year-end seasonal slowdown. Buyer activity eased in late 2025, influenced in part by interest rate uncertainty, but demand has remained steady for well-priced, well-presented homes in desirable neighborhoods.
Inventory is still elevated compared to last year, giving buyers more options and greater negotiating leverage. While new listings slowed toward the end of the year, overall active inventory remains relatively high. Homes that are overpriced or need work are taking longer to sell and are more likely to require price adjustments.
In contrast, move-in-ready homes priced between $700,000 and $1.1 million continue to attract meaningful buyer interest. In this market, pricing accuracy and presentation are critical to success.
As a Seattle real estate broker with HomePro Associates, I see this shift daily. Buyers are more selective, but they are still active and ready to move forward when the value is right.
Sales Activity Intensity™
Sales activity has shifted into a more balanced market environment. Months of inventory across King County is hovering around three months, which still leans seller-friendly, but looks very different from the ultra-competitive conditions of recent years. Routine bidding wars are no longer the norm, and multiple offers are mostly limited to exceptional homes in highly desirable locations.
Buyers are taking more time to compare options and negotiate, while sellers are adjusting expectations through strategic pricing and, in many cases, offering concessions to move transactions forward. In this market, flexibility and realistic positioning are key to getting deals closed.
New Listings and Active Inventory
Condo markets, particularly in Redmond, Bellevue, and Downtown Seattle, showed renewed activity toward the end of 2025. As affordability continues to challenge many single-family homebuyers, condos remain an attractive entry point for first-time buyers and investors looking for lower price points in well-connected areas.
While new condo listings typically slow during the winter months, motivated buyers remain active and are often more decisive due to reduced competition. For sellers, this creates a strategic opportunity to prepare and list early, before the spring inventory surge increases competition.
Homes are still selling, but buyers are taking more time to decide. In November, the median days on market in Seattle increased to 27 days, up from 24 in October and 21 in September.
As a Seattle real estate broker with HomePro Associates, I’m seeing buyers use this extra time to be more selective, especially when evaluating pricing and condition.
That said, move-in-ready homes in highly desirable areas like North Seattle, Bellevue, and Shoreline are still moving quickly — typically within 7 to 10 days if priced strategically. Listings that are dated or overpriced are seeing longer market times, especially as buyers become more cautious during the holiday season.
Seattle-area home prices experienced typical year-end softening toward the end of 2025. Median single-family home prices eased modestly from early fall levels, reflecting normal seasonal patterns rather than a meaningful market downturn.
Buyers remain price-conscious due to higher interest rates, but they are still actively purchasing homes that are well-prepared and realistically priced. Listings that show well and align closely with recent comparable sales are continuing to attract solid interest and can go pending within two weeks.
Homes that are overpriced or need work are seeing longer days on market and are more likely to require price adjustments before attracting serious offers.
Single-Family Residences
Condos
As we move into January 2026, the latest closed data from December shows King County inventory continuing its gradual climb. Months of supply is now hovering around just over three months, a level we have not consistently seen since the early post-pandemic years.
Buyer demand remains present, but noticeably more deliberate. With interest rates still elevated and more homes available to choose from, buyers are taking extra time to compare options, evaluate pricing, and negotiate terms. The urgency we saw earlier in the year has cooled, and decision-making is more measured.
Across much of Seattle, days on market have lengthened, with many homes now averaging three to four weeks to sell, depending on price point and condition. Well-positioned homes are still selling, but the market is rewarding realistic pricing, strong presentation, and a clear strategy more than speed alone.
As we enter January 2026, Seattle’s real estate market continues to cool in a stable and controlled way. Inventory has edged just over three months of supply, marking the highest levels we have seen in several years. Buyer demand remains active, but noticeably more selective, and homes are taking longer to sell. Well-priced, well-presented listings are still moving, often within a few weeks, while homes that miss the mark are sitting longer.
Mortgage rates have settled into the mid-to-upper 6% range, which continues to challenge affordability and reinforces a more thoughtful, less rushed buyer mindset. This has resulted in a market that feels balanced and orderly. What we are seeing is a healthy recalibration, not a downturn.
As we move through the winter months, Seattle’s housing market clearly favors strategy over speed. Buyers have more room to negotiate and make informed decisions. Sellers who price realistically, prepare their homes carefully, and understand current buyer expectations can still achieve strong outcomes. In today’s market, results are driven by market knowledge, presentation, and precise pricing, not momentum alone.
Buyers: Seattle buyers are entering 2026 in a noticeably stronger position. With homes now averaging about three to four weeks on the market, competition has eased and negotiation opportunities have expanded. That said, desirable listings, especially in Ballard, Green Lake, and West Seattle, can still move quickly when they are priced and presented correctly.
Sellers: As we move into January 2026, opportunity still exists for motivated Seattle sellers, but success now hinges on precision and presentation. Inventory levels are sitting at their highest point in several years, and buyers are carefully comparing options. This makes pricing accuracy and marketing execution more critical than ever.
As we move into early 2026, the key for both buyers and sellers remains strategy over speed. Seattle’s housing market is continuing its gradual, orderly adjustment, and opportunities are still very real for those who understand current conditions and make informed, well-timed decisions. In today’s environment, results favor preparation, data, and clear strategy, not urgency alone.
Looking back at 2025, Seattle’s housing market told a clear and consistent story. The year marked a transition away from the volatility of prior cycles and into a more normalized, disciplined market environment. Activity did not disappear, but it became more intentional, shaped by affordability constraints, higher interest rates, and a steady rise in inventory.
As a Seattle real estate broker with HomePro Associates, this shift reflected a return to more normalized conditions where pricing, presentation, and location mattered more than urgency alone.
1. Market Activity & Home Sales: Looking back at 2025, buyer demand remained present throughout the year but increasingly cautious as conditions normalized. Across King County, inventory averaged in the mid-to-high two-month range during the second half of the year, marking the highest sustained levels since 2021 and signaling a clear shift toward a more balanced market. Homes took longer to sell than in prior years, with median days on market rising out of the single digits seen earlier in the cycle, giving buyers more time to compare options and negotiate.
2. Price Trends: TLooking back at 2025, home prices in Seattle softened modestly as the market adjusted to higher borrowing costs and increased inventory. Over the course of the year, median sale prices for single-family homes in Seattle trended slightly lower compared to peak levels in 2024, with pricing fluctuations reflecting seasonality rather than distress. This gradual cooling signaled normalization, not a downturn.
3. Inventory Levels: Inventory steadily built during the latter half of 2025, marking one of the year’s most significant market shifts. By early fall, inventory across King County reached approximately 2.9 months, up from 2.1 months earlier in the summer and the highest level seen in more than two years. This increase gave buyers more breathing room and signaled a clear transition toward a more balanced market.
While new listings remained relatively steady through much of 2025, sellers increasingly competed for buyer attention as urgency eased. In popular neighborhoods like Ballard, Ravenna, and West Seattle, turnkey homes priced correctly still went pending within a few weeks, sometimes with multiple offers, while others lingered longer and often required price adjustments.
The increase in supply proved to be a positive shift for buyers, offering more time and choice. Even so, inventory levels remained below the four to six months typically associated with a true buyer’s market. Throughout 2025, balance, not decline, defined market conditions.
4. Neighborhood Highlights: Throughout 2025, Seattle-area neighborhoods showed increasingly divergent performance based on price point and location. Ballard, West Seattle, and Green Lake remained active, driven by steady demand for walkability, character homes, and strong community feel. Homes in these areas sold fastest when priced under $1.1M and move-in ready.
Shoreline and Bothell also performed well, supported by light rail expansion, strong schools, and additional space for families. Shoreline, in particular, attracted renewed interest from commuters seeking larger lots within reasonable distance of downtown.
Meanwhile, Northgate and Lynnwood gained traction with both investors and first-time buyers, benefiting from expanded light rail access and more attainable condo and townhouse options. Overall, neighborhoods offering value, lifestyle convenience, and transportation access consistently outperformed higher-priced or less updated areas.
5. Economic & External Factors: Throughout 2025, mortgage rates largely held within the mid-to-high 6% range, continuing to pressure affordability but with far less volatility than in prior years. While higher borrowing costs slowed some discretionary moves, Seattle’s diverse economy, supported by tech, healthcare, and biotech, remained resilient. Local employment stayed strong, helping sustain steady underlying buyer demand.
Buyers adapted to the higher-rate environment by increasingly using seller-paid rate buydowns, adjustable-rate mortgages, and other creative financing strategies to remain competitive. Inflation moderated modestly as the year progressed, reinforcing a sense of stabilization and setting the tone for cautious optimism moving into the next cycle.
6. Looking Ahead: By the final quarter of 2025, Seattle’s real estate market had settled into a measured, balanced pace. Sellers faced more competition than in prior years, but homes that were well-priced, thoughtfully staged, and professionally marketed continued to stand out and sell efficiently. Preparation proved to be the deciding factor, with pricing accuracy and presentation driving results.
For buyers, the fall market offered meaningful opportunity. Increased inventory and fewer bidding wars allowed prepared buyers to move decisively and secure strong homes without the intensity of earlier cycles.
While activity cooled from spring highs, Seattle remained fundamentally strong throughout 2025. Economic stability, steady population growth, and long-term housing demand continued to support values, reinforcing that the year was defined by strategic, data-driven moves rather than urgency or retreat.
Pending
Lakeside Townhome Retreat at Sixty-01 Redmond, WA
Sold
4-Bedroom Home For Sale in Snoqualmie Ridge With Mountain Views
Sold
Spacious 3-Bedroom Home For Sale in Everett, WA
The Puget Sound Market Update with Emily Cressey shares market insights and tips for buyers and sellers in the always evolving Seattle – Bellevue – Everett real estate market. Whether you want to buy, sell, or invest, our market insights will help you track market trends and make smart decisions.
