Published October 25, 2026 in Market Update

South Waterfront & Hillsdale has fewer listings, but homes are taking longer to sell

By Becky Jackson

Real estate, South Waterfront & Hillsdale

Here is the one thing every South Waterfront & Hillsdale homeowner should know right now. Fewer homes are coming to market, but that alone is not moving buyers faster. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted just 74 new listings in the three months ending August 31, 2026, down 24.5% from the same months of 2025. Yet the median days on market stretched to 53 days, which is 9 days longer than a year ago. Less competition does not mean a quick sale.

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.32% as of October 22, 2026. That rate is keeping some buyers cautious. The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales reached 3.99 million units in September 2026, up just 1.5% from the month before. Buyers are active, but they are moving carefully.

What the numbers show for 97239

The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the median sale price in 97239 held at $637,500, up 0.9% from the same period in 2025. Prices did not fall, but the gain was small. That is an honest picture of where things stand.

Buyers are not rushing, even with fewer choices

The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that only 20.6% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. That share fell 10.4 points from a year ago. So about 8 in 10 homes waited longer than two weeks. Fewer listings did not create a rush.

Pending sales did tick up 2.8% from a year ago, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows, with 73 homes pending in the period. That is a quiet positive sign. But 53 median days on market tells you buyers are still deliberate.

What sellers are getting at the closing table

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the average sale-to-list ratio at 98.5% for the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 0.4 points from 2025. Sellers are getting very close to their asking price, but only when the price is set right from the start.

Just 14.7% of homes sold above list price, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows. That share is up 1.8 points from 2025, which is a small improvement. But it means about 85% of homes did not get above their asking price. Pricing with care matters.

The wider picture adds context

Zillow reported on October 23, 2026 that newly pending existing-home sales dropped 12.8% year-over-year on a rolling weekly average. That is a national trend, and it lines up with what the local numbers show. Buyers everywhere are slower to commit.

Zillow also forecasted home value growth of just 0.7% for the full year 2026. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 0.3% from the prior month in July, seasonally adjusted. Small gains, not big swings, are the pattern this year.

One more thing worth saying. These numbers cover all of ZIP 97239. One street, or even one building in South Waterfront, can read very differently from the ZIP code as a whole. Your block has its own story.