Kitsap Housing Market, September 2026: The Real Numbers
Kitsap County's median sale price was $595,000 in September 2026, up 1.8% from a year earlier, on 313 closed sales, according to NWMLS. With 3.0 months of supply and 865 active listings, the market still tilts toward sellers, but only slightly, and prices are rising slowly rather than jumping. The bigger change in the past year is the mortgage rate: Freddie Mac's 30-year average was 7.40% on October 15, 2026, against 6.27% a year ago.
Every month I get the same two questions. Sellers ask whether they missed the top. Buyers ask whether prices are about to fall. September's numbers answer both, and the answer isn't the one either side expects. Here's what NWMLS reported for Kitsap, Pierce, and Jefferson counties and the neighborhoods inside them, what today's rates do to a monthly payment, and what I'd do with it if I were selling or buying this fall.
Key Takeaways
- Kitsap's median was $595,000 in September 2026, up 1.8% year over year. Prices are still rising, just slowly.
- Kitsap has 3.0 months of supply, Pierce has 3.7. Both are tight by the usual rule of thumb, but Pierce has a lot more inventory to choose from: 3,079 active listings to Kitsap's 865.
- Neighborhood medians range from $450,000 to over $1.19 million. West Bremerton was $450,000. Gig Harbor North was $1,197,719. The county median hides that spread.
- Rates moved more than prices. At 7.40%, principal and interest on a 20%-down loan at Kitsap's median runs about $359 a month more than it would have at last year's 6.27% (my arithmetic, below).
- Sellers still have the edge, but not a blank check. A 1.8% annual gain doesn't support pricing on last spring's best sale.
- Buyers have more negotiating room than the headlines suggest. Especially in Pierce and Jefferson, where supply is deeper.
The September 2026 Numbers, County by County
These are the figures NWMLS published in its Local Market Update, Residential, for September 2026. I'm quoting them as published.
| Kitsap County | Pierce County | Jefferson County | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $595,000 | $580,000 | $675,000 |
| Change vs September 2025 | +1.8% | +1.9% | -2.5% |
| Closed sales | 313 | 768 | 50 |
| Months of supply | 3.0 | 3.7 | 5.6 |
| Active listings | 865 | 3,079 | 230 |
Source: NWMLS Local Market Update, Residential, September 2026. Information and statistics compiled and reported by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.
See the numbers
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Jefferson County | $675,000 |
| Kitsap County | $595,000 |
| Pierce County | $580,000 |
Kitsap: slow and steady
A 1.8% gain over a year is not a boom. On a $595,000 median it's the difference between a good spring and an ordinary one. What it tells me is that demand is holding up well enough to absorb today's rates, without the bidding wars of a few years ago.
Pierce: almost the same price, much more choice
Pierce's median ($580,000) is within $15,000 of Kitsap's, and it rose at almost the same pace (+1.9%). The difference is depth. Pierce had 3,079 active listings and 3.7 months of supply. A buyer comparing Gig Harbor or the Key Peninsula with South Kitsap is shopping in a bigger pool on the Pierce side.
Jefferson: the one that slipped
Jefferson County's median fell 2.5% year over year, to $675,000, on just 50 closed sales, with 5.6 months of supply. Small counties swing more month to month, so I wouldn't call that a trend from one report. But it's the softest of the three, and it's where buyers looking at Brinnon and the Hood Canal side have the most room to negotiate right now.
What Months of Supply Actually Tells You
Months of supply is the number I watch most closely, because it shows who has the leverage. It estimates how long the current listings would take to sell at the current pace if nothing new came on the market.
The rule of thumb
A common rule of thumb treats under about four months as a seller's market, four to six as roughly balanced, and over six as a buyer's market. It's a guide, not a law, and it varies by price range.
| County | Months of supply | Where that lands |
|---|---|---|
| Kitsap | 3.0 | Seller-leaning |
| Pierce | 3.7 | Seller-leaning, close to balanced |
| Jefferson | 5.6 | Balanced, close to buyer-leaning |
Why "seller-leaning" isn't "seller's market"
Three months of supply sounds tight, and it is. But it doesn't mean every listing sells in a weekend. It means well-priced homes in good condition sell, and the rest sit. Homes priced to the last six months of sales move. Homes priced to a neighbor's 2022 sale don't. If that's happened to you, my guide on what to change when a Washington listing expires walks through the relaunch.
Neighborhood by Neighborhood: The NWMLS Breakouts
The county median blends very different markets. NWMLS also publishes single-family breakouts by map area, and those show the real spread. NWMLS area figures only mean something with enough sales behind them, so areas with fewer than 10 closed sales in September aren't shown with a median here.
| NWMLS area | Closed sales | Median sale price | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Bremerton (148) | 35 | $450,000 | 73 |
| East Central Kitsap (150) | 29 | $489,000 | 48 |
| Port Orchard (143) | 26 | $519,999 | 57 |
| East Bremerton (149) | 11 | $530,000 | 28 |
| Silverdale (147) | 34 | $589,700 | 62 |
| Retsil / Manchester (144) | 11 | $590,000 | 40 |
| South Kitsap, east of Hwy 16 (142) | 16 | $595,000 | 52 |
| South Kitsap, west of Hwy 16 (141) | 51 | $629,990 | 150 |
| Artondale (7) | 22 | $875,000 | 33 |
| Gig Harbor North (8) | 13 | $1,197,719 | 53 |
- Kitsap
- Gig Harbor (Pierce)
Source: NWMLS Breakouts, single-family, September 2026. Information and statistics compiled and reported by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.
See the numbers
| Item | Area | Value |
|---|---|---|
| West Bremerton | Kitsap | $450,000 |
| East Central Kitsap | Kitsap | $489,000 |
| Port Orchard | Kitsap | $519,999 |
| East Bremerton | Kitsap | $530,000 |
| Silverdale | Kitsap | $589,700 |
| Retsil / Manchester | Kitsap | $590,000 |
| South Kitsap, east of Hwy 16 | Kitsap | $595,000 |
| South Kitsap, west of Hwy 16 | Kitsap | $629,990 |
| Artondale | Gig Harbor (Pierce) | $875,000 |
| Gig Harbor North | Gig Harbor (Pierce) | $1,197,719 |
Bremerton and Central Kitsap: the value end
West Bremerton's $450,000 median was the lowest of any area with enough sales to quote, on 35 closings. East Central Kitsap ($489,000) and East Bremerton ($530,000) sit close behind. For first-time buyers and anyone priced out of South Kitsap, this is where the numbers work. The Bremerton page shows these same NWMLS areas alongside the county figures.
Port Orchard and South Kitsap: the busiest area in the county
South Kitsap west of Highway 16 had 51 closed sales, more than any other Kitsap area, at a $629,990 median, with 150 active listings. Port Orchard proper was $519,999 on 26 sales. My South Kitsap market breakdown goes deeper, and the Port Orchard page carries the current area figures.
Silverdale: right at the county median
Silverdale's $589,700 median on 34 sales is almost exactly the county figure, with 62 active listings. See the Silverdale page for the area breakdown.
Gig Harbor: two very different numbers
Artondale's median was $875,000 on 22 sales, and Gig Harbor North's was $1,197,719 on 13. Gig Harbor proper, Gig Harbor South, Purdy, and Rosedale each had fewer than 10 sales in September, so NWMLS breakouts don't give a quotable median for them this month. The Gig Harbor page shows what's reportable.
Brinnon: too few sales to quote
Brinnon had 6 closed sales in September, below the threshold for a meaningful median. With rural and waterfront property, one sale can swing a median by six figures, so I price those homes from the individual comparable sales, not the area number.
How to Read Market Stats Without Getting Fooled
Market reports are useful, and easy to misread. Here are the four mistakes I see most often.
A median isn't your home's value
The median is the middle sale of the month, not the typical house. If more big homes happen to close in a month, the median rises even if no individual home gained a dollar. That's why I never price a home from a median. I price it from the specific sales that compare to it: same area, similar size, similar condition, recent dates.
Closed sales are a look back
September closings mostly reflect deals written in August and early September, a month or more earlier, because most purchases take 30 to 45 days to close. A rate move in October won't show up in the closed numbers until November or December. Active listings and new pending sales are the earlier signals.
Small samples swing hard
Jefferson County's 50 sales and Brinnon's 6 can move a lot on a handful of deals. That's why NWMLS breakouts for areas under 10 sales aren't quoted here at all. One waterfront sale in a small area can make it look like prices jumped or crashed when nothing changed.
Year over year beats month to month
Real estate is seasonal. Comparing September with August mixes the market with the calendar, because summer and fall buyers behave differently. Comparing September 2026 with September 2025, as NWMLS does in the change figure, takes the season out of it. That's the number I'd trust over any month-to-month swing.
What 7.40% Does to a Monthly Payment
Prices rose 1.8% in Kitsap over the year. Rates rose more than a full point. For most buyers, the rate is the bigger story.
The rate, verified
Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed average at 7.40% as of October 15, 2026, unchanged from the week before. A year earlier it was 6.27%. The 15-year fixed averaged 6.71%, down from 6.73% the week before and up from 5.52% a year ago. Your own rate will depend on your credit, down payment, and loan type.
My arithmetic, at the September medians
Here's what principal and interest come to with 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan, at today's average and at last year's. This is my own arithmetic on the NWMLS medians, not an NWMLS statistic, and it leaves out property tax, insurance, and any HOA dues.
| Median (NWMLS, September 2026) | Loan at 20% down | P&I at 7.40% | P&I at 6.27% | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Bremerton, $450,000 | $360,000 | $2,493 | $2,221 | $271 |
| Port Orchard, $519,999 | $415,999 | $2,880 | $2,567 | $314 |
| Kitsap County, $595,000 | $476,000 | $3,296 | $2,937 | $359 |
| Pierce County, $580,000 | $464,000 | $3,213 | $2,863 | $350 |
| Artondale, $875,000 | $700,000 | $4,847 | $4,319 | $528 |
Source: My arithmetic on the NWMLS September 2026 Kitsap County median ($595,000) and Freddie Mac PMMS 30-year averages (October 15, 2026, and a year earlier). Principal and interest only.
See the numbers
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| A year ago (6.27%) | $2,937 |
| Today (7.40%) | $3,296 |
A 15-year loan changes the math. At 6.71%, the same $476,000 loan comes to about $4,202 a month in principal and interest (my arithmetic). That's about $906 more a month than the 30-year, in exchange for paying the loan off in half the time with far less interest.
If you're shopping lenders, half a point on the rate is worth real money at these loan sizes. My guide to comparing mortgage rates from local lenders covers what to line up side by side.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice. Mortgage rates are Freddie Mac PMMS national averages as of October 15, 2026. Payment figures are illustrative principal and interest only. Confirm your own rate and payment with a licensed lender.
What This Means If You're Selling This Fall
Sellers are still holding the better hand in Kitsap, but the margin for error on price is small.
Price to the last six months, not the best sale you remember
On a $595,000 home, a 1.8% gain is about $10,700 (my arithmetic). That's helpful. It doesn't cover pricing $40,000 over the comps because a neighbor got a great number in spring. Buyers are paying 7.40% on their loans and they're checking every comparable sale.
Condition carries more weight than it did
When buyers have three months of inventory, they compare. A home that needs a roof or has a tired kitchen sits next to one that doesn't. Small fixes before listing pay off more in this market than in a frenzy. My guide to pricing your Kitsap home in 2026 walks through how I set the number.
The seasonal clock
Fall and early winter bring fewer buyers, but they're serious ones: people relocating for work, military moves, and buyers who lost out in spring. If your home is ready, there's no reason to wait for spring and compete with a new wave of listings. My sellers have averaged 99.18% of list price across every market cycle, and pricing it right on day one is most of how that happens. If you want a number based on the homes that actually compare to yours, request a home valuation and I'll get you a real figure within one business day.
What This Means If You're Buying This Fall
Buyers don't have the market to themselves, but they have more room than the headlines suggest.
Negotiate on the homes that have been sitting
With 865 active listings in Kitsap and 3,079 in Pierce, some homes have been on the market for a while. Those are the ones where a seller credit for closing costs or a rate buydown is on the table. My buyers have averaged 95.48% of list price, so there's often room, but where it is depends on the house and how long it's been listed.
Look one area over
The breakouts show how much location moves the price. South Kitsap west of Highway 16 had a $629,990 median. Port Orchard proper was $519,999, and East Central Kitsap was $489,000. Medians aren't like-for-like comparisons, since the homes differ, but they show where your budget stretches further. For a fuller picture, see my Kitsap County home price breakdown.
Don't wait for the rate you want
If rates fall, more buyers come back and prices tend to firm up. Buying the right house now and refinancing later is a real strategy, though a refinance isn't guaranteed and has its own costs. Run it both ways with your lender before deciding.
Is Kitsap County a Buyer's or Seller's Market in Fall 2026?
Seller-leaning, but only slightly. NWMLS reported 3.0 months of supply in Kitsap County for September 2026, below the roughly four months a common rule of thumb uses as the line for a seller's market. Prices rose 1.8% year over year, so sellers still hold the edge, but well-priced homes sell and overpriced ones sit.
What Is the Median Home Price in Kitsap County Right Now?
NWMLS reported a median sale price of $595,000 for Kitsap County in September 2026, up 1.8% from September 2025, on 313 closed sales. Neighborhood medians ranged from $450,000 in West Bremerton to $629,990 in South Kitsap west of Highway 16.
Are Home Prices Going Down in Kitsap County?
Not as of September 2026. The Kitsap County median rose 1.8% year over year, according to NWMLS, and Pierce County rose 1.9%. Of the three counties covered here, only Jefferson County fell, down 2.5% to $675,000, on a small number of sales.
How Much Is the Mortgage Payment on a Median Kitsap County Home?
At the September 2026 Kitsap median of $595,000, with 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan at Freddie Mac's October 15, 2026 average of 7.40%, principal and interest come to about $3,296 a month. That's my arithmetic, before property tax, insurance, and any HOA dues.
Final Thoughts
September's numbers don't support either story people want to tell. Prices aren't falling in Kitsap, and they aren't running away either. They're rising slowly, on tight but not frantic inventory, while a 7.40% rate does more to a buyer's budget than the price does. For sellers, that means pricing to the recent comps and showing up in good condition. For buyers, it means looking past the county median to the neighborhood numbers, and negotiating on the homes that have been sitting.
Thinking about buying or selling this fall?
I'll show you what these numbers mean for your street or your price range, using the actual comparable sales. Get in touch here, or call (360) 777-7212.
Selling? Get a real valuation on your home. Buying? Search homes for sale.
