June Monthly Market Checkin~How Are Sellers Pricing Homes?
June 11, 2026
School is out and it’s time to enjoy the Summer! Or some may say, “Get Off My Lawn!” Summertime usually brings more activity whether that means an increased number of children running through neighborhood lawns or families deciding to sell and move during the Summer break. This is typically when we see activity increase substantially. Although year to date, we continue to see a slower season compared to years past, however many people will decide to make a move in the next couple of months.
Many sellers are still struggling to price their homes effectively. While statistics encouragingly show that average sales prices continue to increase incrementally, buyers are moving much slower and more strategically. 2021 was the banner year after COVID, but buyers are much more calculated these days. The days of buyers overpaying for a home are over and they are analyzing their options to ensure they make wise decisions. We hear many sellers say something like, “We won’t give the home away.” Although we certainly understand what they mean, it is important for all sellers to realize that the market has been a seller’s market for 15 years and it is now cycling. We can summarize pricing into 3 categories.
Aspirational Pricing. Does your home have a WOW or celebrity factor that is uniquely desired by everyone?
Market Value Pricing. This is the pricing range that most real estate agents suggest after a well documented analysis of the full market and your home’s value proposition.
Event Driven Pricing. This strategy prices at the lower end of the range to create demand. We still occasionally see bidding wars on nicely priced homes.
The market always determines the sales price.
The market speaks. If homes receive good online views but no showings, the price or condition is usually too unattractive. If the home is receiving personal showings but no offers, it is usually a functionality or livability issue that price is not overcoming. An attractively priced home will receive multiple showings and should have more than 1 interested party within a 3 month period. We tell our sellers that we will have a very clear idea of how the market is responding to their specific house within 3 weeks. Although most homes currently take an average of over 100 days to close from the time of active marketing, it doesn’t have to be this way. Many sellers overprice their homes to continue to “test” the market. This strategy often results in a stale listing and ultimately a lower sales price than if the seller had just priced it to create a demand right out of the gate. In our experience, if a home receives 5-8 personal showings with no offers, it is time to make some adjustments.
Unfortunately the fight against inflation took a huge blow with the latest results showing the CPI grew at .5% from last month to a 12 month average of 4.2%. The main culprits continue to be energy, up 23.5% from last year (Thanks Iran War), Airline Fares up 26.7% YOY.
The new Fed Chairman, Kevin Warsh has his work cut out for him, as his first meeting is scheduled for next week. We expect the FED to keep rates the same due to pressure from the administration. There is much speculation about the conclusion of the Iran War, which always seems to be just a few days away. In all honesty, we believe they should raise rates to get ahead of this growing issue.
Here is a snapshot of our Real Estate trends in the valley…
| Current Active Listings (All Types) | 3215 | Up 6.6% from last month & up 3% from this time last year |
| Current Pending Listings | 1129 | Up 4% from last month & up 3% from this time last year |
| Sold Listings Last Month | 761 | Up 7.3% from last month & up 3.5% from this time last year |
| New Listings Last Month | 1251 | Up 6% from last month & up .5% from this time last year |
| Months of Inventory | 4.81 | Up 6.8% from last month & down 1.4% from this time last year |
| % List to Sold Ratio | 98.60% | Up .6% from last month & down 3.5% from this time last year |
| Absorption Rate *Based on current active listings vs sold listings for the past month | 24%* | Even from last month & up 9% from this time last year |
| Average Sales Price in All Categories | $494,000 | Down .6% from last month & up 6% from this time last year |
| Median Residential Sales Price Average Residential Sales Price **Based on Willamette Valley Multiple Listing Statistics | $457,500** $517,059** | Up .3% from last month & down .4% from this time last year. Up .4% from last month & up 1% from this time last year |
| Average Owner Occupied Interest Rates ***Based on Freddiemac.com Statistics of 30 year fixed mortgage | 6.48%*** | Down .6% from last month & down 2.8% from this time last year |
| Consumer Price Index Average (CPI) **** FED’s Goal is 2% | 4.2%**** | Up .5% from last month & up 55% from this time last year |
+Some numbers are rounded
Whether you are enjoying the Summer or yelling at kids as they run across your beautifully manicured yard, we hope you find this season to be one to celebrate.
July 4th is right around the corner and 250 years is something worth celebrating!
