Home prices down, houses moving faster in much of the Basin
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 3 weeks 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. | March 13, 2026 12:50 AM
MOSES LAKE — Home prices dropped in January in Moses Lake, Ephrata and Othello compared to January 2025, according to the real estate website Redfin, but showed a substantial increase in Quincy.
The median price in Moses Lake, according to Redfin’s data, was $313,150, a 10.3% decrease from a year ago. The decrease in Ephrata was 6%, to $315,000, and in Othello the drop was 13.5% to $328,000. Quincy’s median home price jumped 41.5% from January 2025 to January 2026, to $374,950.
The numbers were a little different when calculated by the square foot, however. In Moses Lake, the median price was $230 per square foot, an increase of 4.3%. Othello’s median per-square-foot price was also up, by 13.7% to $266. Ephrata’s price dropped by 12.9% to $206 per square foot, and Quincy dropped 20.1% to $215 per square foot.
The market moved faster in Basin communities as well, according to Redfin’s data. Homes in Moses Lake averaged 31 days on the market compared to 85 days a year ago. Ephrata homes sold in 24 days compared to 77 a year ago, and in Othello homes took 161 days to sell on average, compared to 174 last year. Again, Quincy was the outlier, with a median market time of 30 days, compared to 18 days last year.
Twenty percent of Moses Lake home sales were above list price, according to Redfin’s data, and 21.5% of homes had the price dropped to sell. In Ephrata, 40% of homes sold above list, and 25% had price a price decrease. The same data was not available for Quincy or Othello.
The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage interest rate dropped to 5.98% on Feb. 28, its lowest point since 2022, according to Freddie Mac. On Tuesday, the rate was 6%. At the same time last year, the rate was 6.63, according to Freddie Mac’s data.
This home was listed at $375,000 Wednesday, above the median price of $313,150 for a home in Moses Lake.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.