Inventory Surges as Buyers Gain More Leverage
August’s King County housing market continued to shift toward buyers as the number of homes available grew much faster than sales activity. Buyer demand showed some improvement, but rising inventory, longer market times, and softer prices point to a more competitive environment for sellers.
Year-Over-Year Highlights (August 2026)
✅ New Listings: +32.0%
Significantly more homes coming to market
✅ Pending Sales: +2.9%
Buyer activity remains positive despite increased selection
✅ Closed Sales: -12.5%
Fewer completed transactions than last year
✅ Days on Market: +14.3%
Homes continue to take longer to sell
✅ Median Sales Price: -6.1%
Prices softened notably compared with last year
✅ Percent of List Price Received: -0.6%
Sellers are accepting slightly more negotiation
✅ Inventory of Homes for Sale: +39.8%
Buyers have significantly more homes to choose from
✅ Months Supply of Inventory: +46.2%
Supply is growing faster than buyer demand
Month-to-Month Change (August vs. July)
Compared with July, the supply-demand gap widened. New listings accelerated from +25.3% to +32.0%, while inventory growth jumped from +31.3% to +39.8% and months of supply increased from +35.7% to +46.2%.
The most significant change was pricing. Median sales price shifted from essentially flat in July (+0.1%) to -6.1% in August. Growing inventory and increased competition among sellers are putting downward pressure on prices.
Takeaway
August provided buyers with more choice, more time, and greater negotiating leverage, while sellers faced increase competition.
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