More inventory, lower interest make buying more appealing in Washington
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months AGO
More homes are available for sale across the state of Washington and interest rates have remained relatively low. Both Grant and Adams counties have seen increases in the number of listings for homes and homebuyers may see the market as an appealing time to buy right now.
COURTESY PHOTO/ALENA DARMEL/PEXELS
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 20, 2026 12:35 AM
MOSES LAKE — Housing inventory is up in Washington state and interest rates are down, making buying a home easier than it was a year ago, according to data released by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, which tracks real estate trends in 27 of Washington’s 39 counties.
Active listings statewide increased almost 28% in February 2026 compared to February 2025 and 7.8% over January 2026, according to the NWMLS data. In Grant County, active listings were up 15.7 percent in February 2026 over February 2025, and in Adams County they increased by 69%, the second-highest increase in the state.
Closed sales decreased statewide by 3% year over year, according to the NWMLS. Grant County fared similarly, marking a 2.38 drop in closed sales, while Adams County showed an increase of 3.82%.
Months of inventory, or the amount of time it would take to sell all the homes on the market at a given time, were up 31.7% across Washington, according to the NWMLS. In February 2025, the time was 2.45 months, compared to 3.22 in February 2026. Grant and Adams counties had considerably higher MOI, at 7.41 and 5.44 respectively. A MOI figure between 4 and 6 is considered a balance market by most experts, the NWMLS wrote.
Median sale prices were down slightly in Grant County, decreasing 2.38% to $341,629. In Adams County the median price rose 3.82%, to $340,000. Statewide, the median home price was $620,000, a 1.6 decrease from February 2025.
The average interest rate on a 30-year mortgage was 6.11% Wednesday, according to Freddie Mac. That’s an increase over last week, when it had dropped to 6%, but a substantial decrease compared to a year ago, when it was 6.65%.
“The good news is that mortgage interest rates dropped below 6% at the end of February, for the first time since September 2022,” Steven Bourassa, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, wrote in the NWMLS release. “The lower interest rates have not yet led to increased sales on a year-over-year basis, with the number of transactions declining 3% and prices down relative to February 2025. Listings continue to increase year over year, up 28%, as sellers decide to move on with their lives rather than wait for better market conditions. Compared to January, however, listings, sales and prices were all up.”
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”