East & South King County Real Estate Market Update

What changed this week in the King County market?

The holiday lull ended fast. Sellers came back from the Fourth of July week in force, and new listings across King County more than doubled from the week before. Total active inventory climbed again to roughly 7,500 homes. That is the deepest selection buyers have had all year.

Price cuts jumped too. Nearly 800 active listings reduced their price this week, the biggest one-week count of the summer. That is what sellers do when they can see the competition down the street.

The two halves of my service area are not moving together. On the Eastside, inventory grew again while pending sales slipped from the prior week, and sellers there added more than 230 price cuts. South King County is livelier. Pending sales actually rose this week, and about a third of the homes that sold went for over asking. Buyers priced out of the Eastside keep landing in Renton, Kent, Auburn, and Federal Way, and the activity shows it.

The takeaway right now: buyers have selection and time on the Eastside, and sellers there need sharp pricing to get a deal done. In South King County, a well-priced home is still drawing multiple offers, even in the middle of July.

Nationally, Freddie Mac’s weekly survey has the 30-year fixed mortgage averaging about 6.4 percent, a seven-week low, and Realtor.com reports the national median list price down about 2.5 percent from a year ago. Slightly cheaper money plus more inventory is a friendlier setup for buyers than anything we saw this spring.

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

King County at a glance: June 2026 (NWMLS)

Metric	Residential	Condo
Median sale price	$998,000	$510,000
Change vs. last month	+2.4%	−6.4%
Change vs. last year	−4.8%	−12.1%
Closed sales	1,768	419
New listings	3,175	968
Active listings	5,087	2,468
Months of supply	3.6	5.7
Median days on market	10	24
% of list price received	100%	98.9%

King County, June 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 nearly twice the 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 June 2026 NWMLS closed-sale data. The pattern to notice is the split: the three Eastside cities are carrying noticeably more supply and selling below asking, while the four South King cities are still closing at full list price with prices up from last year.

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

City	Median price	YoY	Active listings	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list received	Closed sales
Bellevue	$1,750,000	−16.7%	353	4.5	11	98.0%	114
Sammamish	$1,567,500	−8.2%	222	4.7	12	98.4%	56
Issaquah	$1,235,000	−5.0%	139	4.6	10	99.2%	45
Renton	$785,000	−7.6%	292	3.5	11	100%	97
Kent	$697,000	+2.9%	230	3.3	12	100%	79
Auburn	$650,000	+3.7%	240	3.4	8	100%	77
Federal Way	$675,000	+4.1%	167	3.2	11	100%	63
King County (single-family)	$998,000	−4.8%	5,087	3.6	10	100%	1,768
King County (condo)	$510,000	−12.1%	2,468	5.7	24	98.9%	419

June 2026 closed-sale data. Each city’s figures are its own true NWMLS numbers. I never average medians across cities. Source: NWMLS via InfoSparks.

How is the Bellevue housing market right now?

Median price	YoY	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list	Active	Closed
$1,750,000	−16.7%	4.5	11	98.0%	353	114

Single-family, June 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.

Is the Sammamish market cooling off?

Median price	YoY	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list	Active	Closed
$1,567,500	−8.2%	4.7	12	98.4%	222	56

Single-family, June 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
$1,235,000	−5.0%	4.6	10	99.2%	139	45

Single-family, June 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
$785,000	−7.6%	3.5	11	100%	292	97

Single-family, June 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
$697,000	+2.9%	3.3	12	100%	230	79

Single-family, June 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
$650,000	+3.7%	3.4	8	100%	240	77

Single-family, June 2026. Source: NWMLS.

Auburn is the most affordable single-family entry point of my seven cities, and buyers know it. When the median home goes pending in eight days, 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.

Is Federal Way the best value in King County?

Median price	YoY	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list	Active	Closed
$675,000	+4.1%	3.2	11	100%	167	63

Single-family, June 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 Federal Way neighborhood 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 they still go in under two weeks. Either way, with rates near their best level in almost two months, it may be worth a look at a rate buydown to bring the payment down further.

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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