Some Basin markets up, some down since 2024
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | August 22, 2025 1:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — Median home sale prices changed from community to community around the Columbia Basin over the last year, according to the real estate website Redfin.
In the Basin’s biggest community, Moses Lake, the median price of a home was $329,990 in July, according to Redfin’s data. That represents a drop of 7.4% from last July. Othello saw an increase of 7.6% to $360,000, and Warden’s median price was $371,000, a year-over-year increase of 12.3%. Ephrata’s median sale price was up 27.2% to $355,000, and Quincy’s was down 24.4% to $356,376. The median home price in Soap Lake was $261,000, a decrease of 19.2%. The median home sale price statewide was $648,300, less than half a percentage point lower than a year ago.
Home sales in the Basin were slower in July 2025 over July 2024, according to Redfin’s data. The median time on the market in Moses Lake was 47 days, 8 days longer than in July 2024. Homes in Quincy stayed on the market an average of 63 days, which was 41 more than a year ago, and in Ephrata the median days on the market was 116, an increase of 82 days. Othello homes spent an average of 52 days on the market, while in Soap Lake the figure was 34.5 days; no data was available from 2024 for comparison. The median days on market for Washington state was 23, an increase of six days.
The laws of supply and demand came into play over the last year, with 27.7% of homes selling above list price compared to 38.6% whose price had to be lowered to sell. In Moses Lake,
20% of homes sold above list price, while 36.6% sold below. In Ephrata, 17.6% went above list, and 13.9% below. Figures were not available for Othello, Soap Lake, Quincy or Warden.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.