Also, What We Can Expect After June

Contact: RobMathison@BHHSNW.com | RobInSeattle.com | 206.683.2187

We’re nearly halfway through the Seattle area real estate year of 2026. How are we doing compared to the past couple of years?

The market has remained surprisingly resilient, despite higher mortgage rates, economic uncertainty, and continued affordability challenges. Here is a look at the year to date so far compared to that same period in 2024 and 2025, and what we can expect the rest of the year ahead based on the past few years.

The data provided is based on the month a listing went pending, which is a truer indicator of the market at any particular time. Also, about 11% of listings in the NWMLS are listed twice – those are consolidated to single listings to ensure double listings aren’t inflating the data. All data is from NWLMS. Contact RobMathison@bhhsnw.com or RobInSeattle.com with questions or for more information. This is informational only and not meant to be a solicitation if you currently have a signed agreement with a broker. 

TOTAL PENDINGS 

The total number of listings that went under contract are down 4% overall as compared to 2024 and 2025. 

But that’s actually a reasonable marginal number, especially considering higher mortgage rates, inflation, affordability challenges, and broader economic uncertainty Put another way, a neighborhood that sold 25 homes annually over the last two years would still be selling roughly 24 homes this year. That’s a remarkably small change given current economic conditions. 

Here’s the data for the Seattle area 2026 to date compared to 2024 and 2025. 

ASKING PRICE AT PENDING AND PERCENT OF ASKING PRICE AT CLOSING

Prices are holding steady. The asking price when a listing goes pending (under contract) is 3.7% higher than it was a year ago. And prices are commanding very close to the asking price (99.6%, rounded up to 100%, as a closing price, which is only down slightly from last year).

DAYS ON MARKET AT PENDING

Houses are selling, but are sitting longer in 2026 as compared to the past few years. On average, houses are on the market just over 30 days (36) before they go under contract, which is about 20% longer than last year. 

REST OF THE YEAR

Historically March through May are the best months in the real estate year. But 51% percent of the homes sold in a year sell in the second half of the year. Nearly every month sees some action, with July through October actually giving the Spring a run for its money.  So there are still busy times left in 2026. 

CONCLUSION

The biggest takeaway is that the Seattle market continues to function remarkably well despite higher interest rates and economic uncertainty. Homes are still selling, prices remain stable, and more than half of annual sales are still ahead of us in the second half of the year.

What this means for sellers

• Serious buyers are still active.
• Pricing remains important.
• Well-prepared homes continue to attract attention.

What this means for buyers

• Homes are taking a little longer to sell on average.
• There is more time for due diligence.
• Competition is lower than peak-pandemic years.

If you’re curious about your neighborhood, your home’s current value, or whether this market is favorable for your plans, I’d be happy to share local data specific to your area. Contact me via RobMathison@BHHSNW.com or via my partner LarissaWilson@BHHSNWRE.com.

Notes and Disclaimers: 

• Please note that all the data is from the NWMLS for Seattle from 1/1/2024 through the first half of June (6/15/2026).
• Unlike many market reports, duplicate listings were removed from the dataset to avoid overstating activity levels. About 10% of the listings in NWMLS are double listings, meaning a single home might be listed once in one neighborhood and a second time in another neighborhood, or listed once as a house and once as a condo. This inflates the data, so these double listings have been consolidated to single listings so that each listing is only counted once. Additionally, in two instances I saw typos so corrected those (for example, someone mistyped the list price as $79,990 for a house that sold for $799,900, meaning they missed a 0 that reaaaallllllyyyyy inflated the percent-to-ask numbers for February 2024 — this was caught and corrected). 
• For more information about my methodology, please see this page.
• I reserve all rights but accept no liability. I’m licensed with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest, am a licensed assistant to top producing LarissaWilson.com, and these posts are informational and not meant to be solicitations if you are represented by another agent.

Contact me at RobInSeattle or RobMathison@BHHSNW.com.

Thank you!