More Homes on the Market. Fewer Showings per House.
We spend a lot of time touring homes, hosting open houses, and watching what happens after a listing goes live.
One thing has become clear this summer. Buyers are still looking, but their attention is spread across more choices.
The July market data helps explain what we have been seeing.
King County ended the month with 7,836 active listings, compared with 6,337 last July. That is nearly 1,500 additional homes competing for buyer attention, an increase of 23.7%.
Across the broader Northwest MLS service area, total scheduled showings declined 4.2% from last year. At the same time, 10.8% more individual listings received at least one showing.
In other words, buyers have not disappeared. They are touring a wider variety of homes, but each property may receive a smaller share of their attention.
More Choices Change How Buyers Search
When inventory is limited, buyers may have only a few realistic options. A home can attract attention simply because there is not much else available.
That changes when more listings enter the market.
Buyers can compare condition, layout, location, updates, and monthly costs more carefully. They may take a second look at a home they initially passed over, wait for a new listing, or focus on properties where the price better reflects the work needed.
For buyers, this can create more breathing room and, depending on the property, more negotiating opportunity.
That does not mean every home will sit or every seller will negotiate. Homes that are well priced, well prepared, and difficult to replace may still move quickly. The opportunity depends on the specific property, its competition, and how long it has been available.
Sellers Have to Earn Attention
More inventory does not mean sellers cannot have a successful sale. It means a home cannot rely on limited competition to create urgency.
Buyers are comparing more options, and they notice the differences.
Before bringing a home to market, we look closely at:
The other homes buyers can purchase in the same price range
Which repairs or improvements could strengthen the presentation
How the home will appear in photos and online searches
Whether the price reflects its condition, location, and layout
What will make it stand out from similar active listings
Closed sales are still important, but they show what buyers chose several weeks or months ago. Active listings show what a buyer can choose today.
Both matter when developing the right pricing and marketing strategy.
Once the home is listed, we also watch the full pattern of activity. Showings, online interest, repeated feedback, new competing listings, and comparable homes going pending all help us understand how buyers are responding.
One quiet day does not tell the whole story. Consistent patterns do.
What This Means for Homeowners
More inventory does not automatically mean every home has lost value.
The median sale price across the full Northwest MLS service area was $640,000 in July, down 1.5% from last year. King County’s median was $879,500.
Those broad numbers provide context, but they cannot tell you exactly what one home is worth. Neighborhood, property type, condition, improvements, lot, and buyer demand within a particular price range can produce very different results.
Even two homes a few blocks apart may perform differently.
If you are not planning to move, there is usually no reason to react to one month of data. If you are considering selling, buying, or making a major improvement, a property specific review is far more useful than a regional headline.
The Market Is More Balanced, but Not Uniform
Buyers have more options than they did last year. Sellers have more competition. Neither fact determines the outcome on its own.
The strongest strategy starts with understanding the specific home and the choices surrounding it.
If you are considering a move, we are always happy to look at the active competition, recent sales, property condition, and numbers with you.
Source: Northwest MLS July 2026 Market Report, published August 4, 2026
