Welcome to 2026!    As we closed the door on 2025, it became clear that it was a year defined by adjustment rather than acceleration. Several economic shifts—particularly mid-year—reshaped how buyers and sellers evaluated timing, value, and risk. My goal with this letter is to share the trends I am watching most closely on Bainbridge Island, place them in a broader Seattle-area context, and help you make informed, confident decisions as we move into the year ahead.

Bainbridge Island waterfront homes require a different real estate approach in 2026. Learn how thoughtful buyers, economic uncertainty, and data-driven marketing are shaping the market.

North Kitsap waterfront homes offer value and lifestyle—but require precise pricing and data-driven marketing in 2026. Explore buyer trends and strategy.

I came out of last year feeling such an immense gratitude for my role. I am proud of my sales for the year- yes (of course). We ended the year with 42 transactions— 26 buyers and 15 sellers and over 50 million in real estate sold. Of those, 23 of those families were on island which landed me as the #2 broker overall. We were recognized by the Bainbridge Review as a Bainbridge Best team, brokerage and individual as well as by Seattle Agents Magazine as a Top Agent.

At the end of last year, I made some guesses about the housing market in 2023. Well, here we are, six months into the new year and how did those predictions turn out? I spoke with economist Kathryn Rooney Vera, Chief Market Strategist, StoneX and we had a freewheeling conversation about the housing market and I’ll combine her observations with an evaluation of mine from last year.

If you are serious about selling your home now, don’t get greedy with the asking price.

This is still a seller’s home market as there simply aren’t enough affordable homes for sale in many parts of the country.

But with average 30-year mortgage rates above 6%, buyers are much more price-sensitive than they were a year ago. Agents and brokers say price is the most important thing for sellers to worry about right now. Pricing it too high a year ago often didn’t backfire as prices were surging broadly. Doing that now could scare off many buyers in a vastly different market.

Agents and housing economists say homeowners trying to sell now need to accept they are probably not going to get the same price their neighbor did early last year when mortgage rates were hovering around 3%.

Skyrocketing interest rates through most of 2022 put some much-needed pressure on the housing market after home prices hit record highs across the nation. However, since December, mortgage rates have been on a steady decline through the beginning of February. Even so, many economists remain mixed about whether home prices will continue to decelerate throughout 2023—or even drop at all.