East & South King County Market Update [Updated October 2026]

What changed this week in the King County market?

Pending sales kept slipping this week, to 583 from 630. Both halves of the county slid: Eastside pendings eased to 128 from 134, and South King County dropped to 128 from 155. We will likely see lower sales numbers through the end of the year, which is the normal seasonal pattern as shorter days and the holidays slow buyer activity.

Closings fell to 386 from 510, but those homes went under contract in late August and early September, so they look back, not forward. One week of sales is a small sample. The better clue is who is winning bidding wars: only 8.7% of Eastside sales closed over list price, against 21.4% in South King County.

Sellers stayed cautious. New listings fell to 767 from 831, and homes for sale, counting NWMLS First Look listings, edged up to 8,179 from 8,144. Price cuts eased to 699 from 751, with Eastside at 167 and South King County at 158. First Look listings slipped to 156 from 159.

Looking further out than this week? Read the King County housing market forecast for 2026.

Mortgage News Daily’s 30-year fixed index closed Friday, October 9, at 7.48%, below its 52-week high of 7.61% but well above the 5.99% low of the past year.

Is King County a buyer’s or seller’s market right now?

King County at a glance: September 2026 (NWMLS)

Metric	Residential	Condo
Median sale price	$950,000	$505,750
Change vs. last month	+2.7%	−0.6%
Change vs. last year	−2.2%	−3.7%
Closed sales	1,360	350
New listings	3,121	948
Active listings	6,028	2,649
Months of supply	4.1	6.4
Median days on market	18	38
% of list price received	99.0%	98.1%

King County, September 2026 closed-sale data. Source: NWMLS via InfoSparks.

Two different markets are hiding in that table. Single-family homes county-wide are still moving quickly at asking price. Condos are carrying far more supply, taking more than twice as long to sell, and their median price has fallen harder over the past year. If you own a condo and plan to sell, pricing honestly matters more for you than for anyone else in this report.

The table below is the heart of this page. It compares all seven cities I serve, plus the county itself, using September 2026 NWMLS closed-sale data. The story this month is that prices mostly held while supply did not: Kent, Renton, and Federal Way are roughly flat against a year ago, Bellevue and Issaquah are up, Sammamish is down modestly, and Auburn posted the biggest decline. Every one of the seven cities has far more supply than it did a year ago, and that is where buyers get their leverage. The rate jump past 7.5% in late September is not in these numbers, because these closings mostly went under contract in August.

City comparison: September 2026 (single-family, NWMLS)

City	Median price	YoY	Active listings	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list received	Closed sales
Bellevue	$1,894,444	+8.3%	372	4.7	20	97.4%	82
Sammamish	$1,610,000	−4.7%	244	5.4	21	97.0%	45
Issaquah	$1,399,994	+9.4%	164	4.9	8	100.0%	32
Renton	$750,000	−1.3%	344	4.1	30	98.6%	83
Kent	$679,000	−0.5%	284	3.8	30	99.1%	71
Auburn	$595,000	−11.2%	286	3.9	14	100.0%	69
Federal Way	$639,000	−0.5%	212	4.0	21	100.0%	51
King County (single-family)	$950,000	−2.2%	6,028	4.1	18	99.0%	1,360
King County (condo)	$505,750	−3.7%	2,649	6.4	38	98.1%	350

September 2026 closed-sale data. Each city

How is the Bellevue housing market right now?

Median price	YoY	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list	Active	Closed
$1,894,444	+8.3%	4.7	20	97.4%	372	82

Single-family, September 2026. Source: NWMLS.

Bellevue is really two markets. Move-in-ready homes under the luxury tier still draw serious competition, while the condo segment and un-staged or dated listings carry the most negotiating room in the entire county. If you are comparing renting against owning here, my Bellevue rent vs. buy breakdown runs the actual numbers.

How much has the Sammamish market cooled?

Median price	YoY	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list	Active	Closed
$1,610,000	−4.7%	5.4	21	97.0%	244	45

Single-family, September 2026. Source: NWMLS.

Sammamish is almost entirely one product type, larger single-family homes, so when supply builds the whole city feels it at once. Buyers here are taking their time and looking hard at lot slope, drainage, and road noise before they write. My neighborhood guides for Sahalee and East Lake Sammamish Parkway cover the pockets buyers ask about most.

Is Issaquah still a good buy on the Eastside?

Median price	YoY	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list	Active	Closed
$1,399,994	+9.4%	4.9	8	100.0%	164	32

Single-family, September 2026. Source: NWMLS.

The Issaquah Highlands keeps pulling steady showing traffic because it is the most affordable way into Eastside schools without paying Bellevue or Sammamish prices. I wrote up the full case in my Issaquah buyer opportunity guide.

What are home prices doing in Renton?

Median price	YoY	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list	Active	Closed
$750,000	−1.3%	4.1	30	98.6%	344	83

Single-family, September 2026. Source: NWMLS.

Renton is three markets wearing one name. The Highlands, Benson Hill, and downtown each price and move differently, which is why the citywide median bounces around. It stays the top landing spot for buyers who work on the Eastside but will not pay Eastside prices. Start with my downtown Renton guide if you are new to the city.

Is Kent a good place to buy a home right now?

Median price	YoY	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list	Active	Closed
$679,000	−0.5%	3.8	30	99.1%	284	71

Single-family, September 2026. Source: NWMLS.

East Hill family homes are the engine here, and demand for them has not let up. Steady markets punish guesswork, so pricing accuracy matters more in Kent than almost anywhere I work. If you are weighing the move, start with my guide to buying a home in Kent and the Kent family neighborhoods breakdown.

Why are Auburn homes selling so fast?

Median price	YoY	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list	Active	Closed
$595,000	−11.2%	3.9	14	100.0%	286	69

Single-family, September 2026. Source: NWMLS.

Auburn is the most affordable single-family entry point of my seven cities, and buyers know it. When the median home sells in about two weeks, showing up without a pre-approval letter means losing the house. Lakeland Hills and the Enumclaw plateau side keep drawing families who want newer construction for less. My guide to living in Auburn covers the neighborhoods and what your budget buys in each.

Are rising rates hitting Federal Way buyers hardest?

Median price	YoY	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list	Active	Closed
$639,000	−0.5%	4.0	21	100.0%	212	51

Single-family, September 2026. Source: NWMLS.

Federal Way sits in the sweet spot between Seattle and Tacoma commutes, and starter homes here have stayed insulated from the cooling happening on the Eastside. My Living in Federal Way guide maps out where those values are.

What does this mean if you’re buying or selling right now?

If you’re buying: your leverage depends on which half of the county you’re shopping. On the Eastside, use the extra supply. Ask for inspection time, negotiate on homes that have sat past three weeks, and don’t chase overpriced listings. In South King County, come prepared to move fast on the good ones, because the best-priced homes still go quickly. Either way, with rates near a 52-week high, ask what a seller-paid rate buydown would do to your payment compared with the same dollars off the price.

If you’re selling: the market is telling sellers one thing loudly: price to the current comps, not to your neighbor’s sale from March. Hundreds of King County sellers cut their price this week alone, and every one of those cuts started with an asking price the market rejected. Condition matters more than it has in years. If you get the first two weeks right, you sell. My guide on how to price your home to sell in King County walks through exactly how I build a list price.

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