Home sales up as summer moving season begins
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months, 3 weeks AGO
A home for sale in Moses Lake. The median price of a home in Grant County was $372,780 in June, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.
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. | July 17, 2026 3:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — More homes hit the market in June as summer home sales gained momentum, according to data released by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, which tracks real estate trends in 27 of Washington’s 39 counties.
Active listings increased 16.4% statewide in June 2026 compared to June 2025, according to the NWMLS data and 8% compared to May 2026. Grant County listings followed a similar pattern, increasing 14.56% year-over-year and 9.18% over May 2026. Active listings were down 15.87% in Adams County from June 2025, but up 3.92% from a month earlier.
Closed sales in Grant County were up 7.53% year-over-year, according to the NWMLS data, and 25% from May, reflecting the usual seasonal bump in home sales as schools let out and families consider moving. In Adams County, closed sales dropped to four sales in June 2026 compared to 12 in June 2025 and nine in May 2026. Statewide, closed sales were up 2.3% from June 2025 and 10.2% from a month earlier.
Adams County’s median home price was the lowest in Washington, according to the NWMLS data, at $226,000 in June 2026, a 29.38% drop from June 2025 and 26.26% from May. The median home price in Grant County was $372,780 in June 2026, up 2.41% from June 2025 and 0.75% from May. The statewide median home price was $650,000, unchanged from May 2026 but down 3% from a year earlier.
The average 30-year fixed-mortgage interest rate was 6.49% on Wednesday, down from 6.43% a week ago and 6.72% a year ago, according to Freddie Mac.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Members Exhibition opens Friday at museum
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Museum & Art Center’s annual Members Exhibition will open Friday, according to an announcement from the museum. The exhibition will kick off with a reception from 4 to 7 p.m. at the museum, according to the announcement. There will be live music and light refreshments, and an opportunity to meet some of the artists. The reception is free and open to the public.
‘A day full of chaos’
Silly golf tournament serves a serious purpose
WARDEN — In its fourth year, the "Dude, Where’s My Cart?" golf tournament has taken off in a big way. “We opened (entries) in August for the tournament,” said organizer Karisti Cox. “We opened up on a Monday, and by Thursday we were sold out.” "Dude, Where’s My Cart?" is a blast of silliness for a serious purpose: raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association. Golfers have to play with a one-third-size club, or with glasses that throw off hand-eye coordination, or while sitting on a toilet. The challenges are meant to mirror difficulties that dementia patients face. The tournament originally had a limit of 20 teams, because that was how many carts were available, Cox said, but three more teams brought their own carts to get a chance to play.
‘Mansion on the Hill’
Brookdale Hearthstone marks 40 years of serving seniors
MOSES LAKE — The Mansion on the Hill, as employees and residents call it, marked its 40th birthday Oct. 15. “This is a celebration not only for the families that have been served by assisted living, but also of those who have been able to keep the lights on and the kids fed because they were able to work here,” said Karisti Cox, living sales specialist at Brookdale Hearthstone. Brookdale Hearthstone celebrated with a full-blown gala, including sandwiches, a chocolate fountain and a visit from some of the people who were there at the outset: assisted living pioneer Jerry Erwin and Hearthstone’s first administrator, Sara Milbrandt.