The May 2026 Kitsap County housing market numbers came in this week, and the headline is simple: average sale prices climbed from about $663,000 in April to roughly $679,000 in May, inventory crossed 1,000 active listings for the first time in a while, and we are tracking right on the seasonal pattern we have seen every year since 2018. If the pattern holds, somewhere in June, July, or August we are likely to test new all-time highs.
Here is the full breakdown of what the May data actually says, with the average-versus-median caveat that most market updates skip over, plus what it means if you are thinking about buying or selling this summer.
Average Sale Price: $663K in April, $679K in May
Across all property types in Kitsap County, the average sale price moved from about $663,000 in April 2026 to roughly $679,000 in May. That is a healthy month-over-month bump, and it tracks closely with the April-to-May moves we have seen for the last three years:
- 2024: $630,000 in April, up to $646,000 in May
- 2025: $663,000 in April, up to $675,000 in May
- 2026: $663,000 in April, up to about $679,000 in May
Every year, April sets a floor, and May starts the climb toward the summer peak. The 2026 number is sitting right on top of where 2025 was at the same point, which tells me the recovery from the 2023 correction has now fully run its course. We are back in the slow-but-steady climb that defined 2018, 2019, and the early part of 2020 before the pandemic distorted everything.
A Quick Note on Average Versus Median
One thing I get asked all the time: why does my number say $679,000 when Redfin or Zillow says $565,000 or $585,000? They are not contradicting each other. They are measuring different things.
Average takes the total dollar volume of every sale and divides by the number of sales. One $4 million Bainbridge Island waterfront sale pulls the average up across the entire county.
Median is the middle sale. Half of homes sold for more, half sold for less. Big outlier sales do not move it.
For most buyers and sellers, the median tells you more about what the typical home costs. For an agent or analyst tracking the overall market, the average tells you more about total market activity. Median single-family in Kitsap is running around $568,000 right now per the NWMLS-sourced market reports. Average across all property types is around $679,000. Both are correct. They just answer different questions. The Redfin and Zillow public-facing numbers tend to use medians, which is why their figures look lower than what I quote on the broker side.
If you are trying to figure out what your own home is worth, you want the median for your specific city and home size, not the county-wide average.
New Listings: 608 in May
Kitsap County had 608 new listings hit the market in May 2026. That is the second-highest May since 2022, and it is right in line with the seasonal pattern. Inventory comes up in spring, peaks in summer, then drops off through the fall.
Looking at the longer arc, 2021 and 2022 had the biggest spring inventory peaks. Since then, the seasonal curve has flattened out a little, but the rhythm is the same. Sellers who had been holding off in winter list in May, and that gives June buyers more to choose from.
Total Active Inventory Crossed 1,000
This is the number I have been watching most closely, because for a long time Kitsap was running so tight on inventory that buyers had almost no options. May 2026 finally pushed total active listings just past 1,000. Here is how that compares:
- 2023: 692 active in April, 764 in May
- 2024: 793 active in April, 916 in May
- 2025: 863 active in April, just over 1,000 in May
- 2026: tracking nearly identical to 2025, with May just over 1,000
So 2026 looks almost exactly like 2025 in terms of active inventory. That is good news for buyers, who have more to choose from than they did in 2023, and not bad news for sellers, who still have a market that is not flooded.
One thing to flag: the public-facing market reports from sites like beyondwa.com show closer to 597 active residential listings for May 2026, because their methodology filters down to single-family homes only. The 1,000+ number I am citing includes condos, manufactured homes, and other property types. Both are valid slices. The 597 number is what most homebuyers feel when they search MLS for a single-family home. The 1,000+ number is the full market.
Months of Supply: Just Over 3
Months of supply tells you how long it would take to sell every active listing at the current sales pace if no new listings hit the market. For reference, the National Association of Realtors and most economists put a balanced market at 5 to 6 months of supply. Under that, sellers have the advantage. Over that, buyers do.
May 2026 closed at just over 3 months of supply. Compare that to:
- April 2025 to May 2025: 2.5 to 3.0 months
- April 2024 to May 2024: 2.4 to 2.8 months
- April 2026 to May 2026: consistent with the 2025 pattern, ending just over 3
So we are still in a seller's market, but the most extreme part of the squeeze is behind us. We are slowly creeping toward balance. Looking at the full chart back to 2006, we still have a ways to go before we hit a true balanced market, but the direction is right.
For sellers, this means you cannot list at any price and expect a feeding frenzy anymore. Pricing and presentation matter. For buyers, this means you have a little more leverage than you did 18 months ago, but you are still competing with other buyers in most desirable neighborhoods.
Days on Market: 9 Median, 30 Average
This is where the average-versus-median distinction matters most. The average days on market for Kitsap County in May 2026 was about 30. But the median was around 9.
That gap tells you the story. Most homes are selling in roughly a week and a half. A small number of homes are sitting on the market for hundreds of days, which pulls the average way up. If you are a seller asking "how long will my home take to sell," the median (9 days) is closer to the answer for a well-priced home. If you are looking at the average, you are looking at a stat that is being distorted by the long-tail of overpriced or hard-to-sell properties.
The Showings-to-Pending Diagnostic for Sellers
If you have your home on the market right now and you are getting anxious, here is the framework I use to figure out what is actually going on:
Step 1. Look up the average days on market for your specific neighborhood, not the county. A Bainbridge waterfront home and a Bremerton starter home have different rhythms.
Step 2. Look up the typical number of showings before pending in your neighborhood.
Step 3. Compare your actual numbers to those benchmarks. For example, if your neighborhood typically sells in 30 days after 7 showings, and you have been on for 35 days with 10 showings and no offer, the showings are happening but buyers are walking away. That is almost always a price or condition problem. Buyers are showing up, looking, and deciding it is not worth what you are asking.
If you have been on for 30 days or more with fewer than 7 showings, the diagnosis is different. Buyers are not even coming through the door. That is usually a price problem (you are above the search threshold buyers are using), or a marketing problem (your photos, video, listing description, or distribution are not making the case for the home).
This is the same diagnostic I walk through in more depth in why your Kitsap County home isn't selling, with city-specific examples and a fix-it timeline.
What This Means If You're Selling Right Now
The market still favors you, but it is more selective than it used to be. Three takeaways:
- Pricing right matters more than it has in years. The gap between a well-priced home (9-day median sale) and an overpriced home (sitting for months) is wider than it was during the 2021-2022 frenzy. Get a real comparative market analysis, not a Zestimate. We covered the difference in how to value a home in Kitsap County.
- Summer is coming. The seasonal pattern says June, July, and August are when we typically test all-time price highs. If you have been thinking about selling, getting on the market in the next 3 to 6 weeks puts you in front of the peak demand window.
- Presentation has to do the heavy lifting. With more inventory on the market, buyers compare. Quality photos, video tours, and tight listing copy separate the homes that sell in 9 days from the ones that sit. I broke this down in the Bremerton home-selling guide with examples.
If you are weighing whether 2026 is the right year to sell, the 2026 sell-or-hold breakdown walks through the decision frame.
What This Means If You're Buying Right Now
Two things to know.
First, you have more options than buyers did in 2023 or 2024. Over 1,000 active listings is a meaningful selection. Take your time, see multiple homes, and do not let agent or seller urgency pressure you into a bad fit.
Second, you are still in a market where good homes priced right go in about 9 days. So you do need to be ready when you find the right one. Pre-approval, lender lined up, an agent who can show on short notice. The window to act on a well-priced home is short. The window to choose from a wide pool of homes overall is wider than it has been in years.
If you are considering Kitsap specifically because you are leaving Seattle metro, the moving-to-Kitsap relocation guide covers everything from ferry commute timing to which cities fit which budgets.
The Bigger Picture: Are We Headed for New Highs?
Looking at the historical chart, every year since 2018 the all-time price highs have landed somewhere in June, July, or August. May 2026 closed at about $679,000 average. The 2022 peak was the highest we have ever seen. We are now within striking distance of that peak.
I am not going to predict it, but the seasonal pattern says it is plausible we test new all-time highs in the next month or two. The underlying conditions support it: inventory is healthier but still tight, demand from Seattle keeps absorbing supply, and rates have stabilized enough that buyers who were on the sidelines are back. If you want the full Washington-state context for why this market is not heading for a crash despite the rising-inventory headlines, the Washington state housing market 2026 breakdown walks through the data.
For deeper context on how spring set up this summer's run, the Spring 2026 Kitsap update covers the city-by-city picture going into the season.
Quick FAQ
What was the average home sale price in Kitsap County in May 2026?
The average sale price across all property types was about $679,000 in May 2026, up from $663,000 in April. Median prices for single-family homes specifically were lower, around $568,000, depending on the data source. Average and median measure different things, so both are correct for different questions.
How many homes were for sale in Kitsap County in May 2026?
Total active listings crossed 1,000 in May 2026, with 608 new listings added during the month. That is consistent with the typical April-to-May inventory jump we have seen for the last several years.
Is Kitsap County still in a seller's market?
Yes, but less extreme than it was. Months of supply ticked up to just over 3 in May 2026. A balanced market is typically 5 to 6 months. Anything under that favors sellers, but the gap is shrinking.
How long are Kitsap County homes taking to sell?
Median days on market was around 9 in May 2026. Average days on market was about 30. The median is the more useful number for most sellers because the average gets pulled up by a small number of homes that sit for many months.
Are Kitsap County home prices going to set a new record this summer?
Looking at the seasonal pattern of every year since 2018, the all-time price highs almost always land in June, July, or August. With May 2026 averages at $679,000 and the trend pointing up, a new record above the 2022 peak is plausible in the next month or two if the pattern holds.
If my Kitsap home has not sold yet, what should I do?
Compare your days on market to your neighborhood median, and compare your total showings to the local average. If you have been on the market longer than the median with fewer showings than the average, the price is likely the issue. If you have plenty of showings but no offers, the price or the condition is off. Either way, the data tells you which lever to pull.
Ready to Make a Move?
If you are thinking about buying or selling in Kitsap County, I can help. Start with a free home valuation, browse my current Kitsap listings, or reach out directly and we can talk through your specific situation.
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