Basin housing market stabilizing
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 months, 3 weeks AGO
A neighborhood under construction in Quincy. The housing market, which was tight and competitive a few years ago, seems to have shifted back to normalcy.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
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. | October 17, 2025 3:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — Just a few years ago, homes for sale in the Basin were few and far between. Today, things seem to have moved more or less back to normal.
“I would say that it's a changed market from what we became accustomed to during the hot market times when homes were selling in a week or sometimes less with multiple offers,” said Tom Parrish, branch manager at Windermere Real Estate in Quincy. “(It was) very favorable to sellers. (Now it’s) shifted to a more of a neutral market, which means that it doesn't necessarily favor one or the other, although it is probably trending towards favoring the buyer side.”
Economic uncertainty and the rise in interest rates have meant that the hot market isn’t coming back any time soon, Parrish said. The buyers are there, he said, but they’re not desperate.
“There's kind of like a dam,” he said. “That dam (is) the uncertainty, the interest rates, all the above … It has slowed the market down. It's causing sellers to have a change of mindset. Prices were going up at an exuberant rate like we’d never seen before, and then it kind of stalled out, and now we're seeing some price reductions.”
Grant County has a fairly diverse housing landscape, with a wide range of availability and affordability. In September, the median home price in Moses Lake was $234 per square foot and in Ephrata $203 per square foot, while in Coulee City, it was only $150.
Those homes appeal to different sets of buyers, said Johnny Reyes, with Windermere Real Estate in Ephrata.
“Those towns that are a little bit further out, it's more people who are wanting to retire and relax and get away from the noise of the city,” he said. “Or (they’re) looking for fishing, hiking and stuff like that draws them … If you have to drive 15, 20 minutes to Moses Lake or Ephrata, it's not that big of a sacrifice in exchange for the peace and quiet that they're looking for in small towns.”
The important thing, Reyes said, isto talk to a Realtor and find out what the options are.
“The homes are there,” he said. “We have lots of homes and with the market having gone a little bit a little bit slow for part of the summer, now's a good chance for buyers to get in on a good opportunity and present a good, competitive offer.”
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.