Eastside Crosses Into Buyer Territory | First Time Since 2011 | August 2026 Real Estate Update

If you're a seasoned homeowner thinking about selling your current home and buying your next one, this August 2026 update marks a categorical market shift. Tony Meier with Windermere Real Estate in Kirkland has spent **37 years** in the field and just crossed **800 successful transactions** across Seattle's Eastside. Since 2020 alone, Tony Meier & Team has closed **200 transactions totaling more than $250 million in volume**, experience that shows up in the pricing, prep, negotiation, and plan that keeps you protected from surprises. This month's headline is definitive: **the Eastside has crossed into buyer-favored territory for the first time in 15 years**. Months of Inventory hit **4.0 in July**, the technical threshold where buyers hold the leverage, a level not seen since December 2011. Seattle and Snohomish County are both at their highest July MOI readings since 2011 as well, marking the fourth consecutive month of 15-year MOI highs across all three markets. The shift is no longer emerging. It has arrived. ### 📊 The Big Three This Month 💰 **Interest Rates** At **6.77% today**, rates are essentially flat year over year (**up 0.05% from July 2025's 6.72%**) but have **climbed 0.23% from last month's 6.54%**, the second consecutive monthly jump of this size. Rate volatility is now the tightest constraint on buyer purchasing power. 🏘️ **Months of Inventory (MOI)** July 2026 MOI marks the **fourth consecutive month of 15-year highs** across all three markets, and the Eastside crossed into buyer-favored territory (4.0+ MOI) for the first time since 2011. • **Eastside:** **4.0 MOI** (10-year Jul avg **1.3** | Jul 2025 **2.4**), buyer favored • **Seattle:** **2.9 MOI** (10-year Jul avg **1.1** | Jul 2025 **2.1**), deep balanced • **Snohomish County:** **2.8 MOI** (10-year Jul avg **1.0** | Jul 2025 **2.0**), deep balanced 📉 **Median Sales Price, Year over Year** • **Eastside:** **−0.32%** (essentially flat, moderating from May's −7.56%) • **Seattle:** **−1.04%** • **Snohomish County:** **−5.93%** Eastside prices have stabilized despite the leverage shift, a resilience worth noting. Snohomish continues to see the deepest YoY correction. ### 🧭 What this means on the ground For sellers, this is a categorical change, not a cyclical one. In a buyer-favored market, buyers can afford to wait, compare, and negotiate. The homes that transact are priced to today's comps, prepared to a higher standard than competing inventory, and offered with terms that reduce friction (rate buydowns, credits, flexible closings). What worked in a seller's market does not work here. Precision and preparation determine outcomes. For buyers, this is the market you have been waiting on for a decade and a half. Four full months of Eastside inventory means real time to evaluate, real negotiating leverage on price and terms, and the ability to include contingencies without losing homes. Rates are the moving variable, so get fully underwritten now and use the leverage while it is here. Seasonally, MOI typically holds or rises through September before easing into winter, so the buyer window should remain open through fall. Rates are the wildcard. ### 🛠️ What Tony covers beyond the data ✅ **Home preparation that wins in a buyer-favored market:** targeted updates, staging, inspection planning, and disciplined pricing to separate your home from competing listings. ✅ **Negotiation strategy that protects net:** credits, rate buydowns, inspection strategy, and terms that reduce risk while keeping buyers engaged. ✅ **Sell-and-buy coordination:** rent-backs, extended closings, bridge planning, and sequencing so you are not caught between homes. 🎥 More market updates and home tours: https://www.youtube.com/@TonyMeier ### This Month's Recommendations **Sellers:** At 4.0 months of inventory, the Eastside is buyer-favored for the first time since 2011, and buyers have real choice. With rates in the mid 6% range, demand is price sensitive. Homes priced to current comps and shown in top condition still sell fast and command strong terms. **Buyers:** Eastside selection is the widest for any July since 2011, and Snohomish prices have eased about six percent in a year. Confirm your approval, then negotiate with confidence on price, credits, and terms while four full months of inventory keep the leverage on your side. Have questions while navigating your real estate journey? Tony Meier & Team - Windermere 🏡 Call us at 425-466-1000 📞 Connect with us online: Web: 🌐 http://www.eastsidehomes.com Facebook: 👍 https://www.facebook.com/tmeier Instagram: 📸 https://www.instagram.com/tonymeier.windermere LinkedIn: 🌟 https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonymeier/ Our mission: With 37 years of real estate expertise, we empower you to make confident decisions. We handle every detail as if you were family, offering personalized guidance, skilled negotiation, and unwavering support.