What changed this week in the King County market?

Countywide activity kept cooling this week. Closings dropped to 388, the slowest week since January, and new listings fell to 743. Active inventory eased slightly to 7,647, but with fewer sales clearing, weeks of supply pushed up to 19.7, the highest reading of 2026. The county median sale price slipped to $825,000, and just 17.5% of sales closed above list, also a 2026 low.

South King County did most of the slowing. Closings fell to 77 from 107 last week, weeks of supply jumped to 19.4 from 14, and the median sale price came back to $650,000. Here is the part that headline number hides: pendings rose to 169 from 143. Buyers down south are still writing offers, they just have not reached the closing table yet.

The Eastside went the other way. Closings ticked up to 90, supply eased to 24 weeks, and pendings cooled to 148. The median sale price came down to $1,337,500, which means the value side has finally caught up with the volume slowdown I flagged last week.

The takeaway: these two markets traded places. The Eastside is settling into its price level, while South King County’s dip looks like a timing gap rather than a demand problem. Watch the South King pending count next Monday. If those close, the slow week was noise.

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

Nationally, Freddie Mac’s weekly survey put the 30-year fixed at 6.67 percent on August 13, down slightly from 6.69 percent the week before, while the National Association of Realtors reports 1.54 million homes for sale, about 4.6 months of supply, and existing home sales running at a 4.06 million annual pace. King County residential supply is still tighter than the national picture at 3.8 months on the latest monthly NWMLS data, and local closings hold far closer to full list price than the national average.

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

King County at a glance: July 2026 (NWMLS)

Metric	Residential	Condo
Median sale price	$1,000,000	$520,000
Change vs. last month	+0.5%	+0.9%
Change vs. last year	+0.1%	−3.7%
Closed sales	1,504	413
New listings	3,099	1,016
Active listings	5,423	2,540
Months of supply	3.8	6.0
Median days on market	11	28
% of list price received	100%	99.1%

King County, July 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 July 2026 NWMLS closed-sale data. This month the split looks different than it has in a while: Sammamish, Issaquah, and Federal Way all posted real year-over-year price gains, while Bellevue, Renton, and Auburn slipped slightly. Supply widened almost everywhere compared to last year, giving buyers more room across the board.

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

City	Median price	YoY	Active listings	Months of supply	Median DOM	% of list received	Closed sales
Bellevue	$1,830,000	−1.1%	372	4.9	13	97.7%	85
Sammamish	$1,725,000	+5.3%	253	5.5	18	97.3%	57
Issaquah	$1,575,000	+7.9%	135	4.4	9	97.5%	41
Renton	$810,000	−4.7%	317	3.9	19	100%	80
Kent	$700,000	+1.4%	270	3.8	11	100%	82
Auburn	$649,000	−1.2%	247	3.5	18	100%	65
Federal Way	$645,000	+7.5%	180	3.5	15	100%	59
King County (single-family)	$1,000,000	+0.1%	5,423	3.8	11	100%	1,504
King County (condo)	$520,000	−3.7%	2,540	6.0	28	99.1%	413

July 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
$1,830,000	−1.1%	4.9	13	97.7%	372	85

Single-family, July 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
$1,725,000	+5.3%	5.5	18	97.3%	253	57

Single-family, July 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
$1,575,000	+7.9%	4.4	9	97.5%	135	41

Single-family, July 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
$810,000	−4.7%	3.9	19	100%	317	80

Single-family, July 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
$700,000	+1.4%	3.8	11	100%	270	82

Single-family, July 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
$649,000	−1.2%	3.5	18	100%	247	65

Single-family, July 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
$645,000	+7.5%	3.5	15	100%	180	59

Single-family, July 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 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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