Seattle and Snohomish County Residential Real Estate Update (November 2026)
Back in April and July of last year, I published pieces here and here regarding the status of Western Washington Real Estate inventory, particularly in King and Snohomish counties. The first article outlined the large jump in residential listings across King and Snohomish Counties in March of 2025, compared to March of 2024, reflecting a noticeable increase in the availability of real estate. The second article reported a dip in listings, particularly in King County, of 17% from May to June. As predicted, however, it was too soon to call that drop in listings indicative of any real change.
Since then, inventory has only increased. For example, there were over 3,000 active listings in Snohomish County as of the end of October 2026, an increase of 35% compared to October of 2025. The median sale price has decreased over 5% year over year to $675,000. The average market time has increased by approximately 8% to 41 days. Overall, sales are closing at over 95% of the original listing price. These trends show that with the increase in inventory, the market has shifted more towards buyers having additional options and negotiating power, but that the market is still strong and competitive with sellers often selling close to their listing prices. While the number of listings hovering at around 3-4 months does not, by most definitions, constitute a buyer’s market, the prevailing trends have essentially evened out the market. The days of waiving all contingencies and multiple offers of 2021 and 2022 appear, currently, in the rearview mirror.
Seattle reports similar, if slightly more muted trends, from October of 2025 to October of 2026, with an increase of roughly 14% to almost 3,500 listings, although the overall supply of 4-5 months of inventory is rather significantly higher than the time of my last blog post on this subject. Interestingly, the median sales price has remained stable, while the average market time has decreased slightly, though the differences appear more nominal. In any case, like Snohomish County, the market has cooled since 2025, reflecting more power for buyers.
Even with the overall cooling in buyer competition, the overall real estate market remains healthy, with attractive homes selling quickly and competitively, and with negotiating power still on display for both sides of the transaction. Ultimately, we are experiencing something of a re-balancing after the buyer competition frenzy in favor of sellers of recent years.
The attorneys at Beresford Booth have significant experience with the purchase and sale of both residential and commercial real estate. Whether you need assistance with complex commercial transactions, off market residential transactions, seller financing, title issues, or litigation involving commercial or residential real estate, the attorneys at Beresford Booth can help you. Please feel free to contact us at info@beresfordlaw.com or by phone at (425) 776-4100.