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.

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.