Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

Primary market sales rose faster than supply

By Tom Miller
Real estate, Primary market

The one number that changes what you should do: the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted sales up 8.8% across the Primary market while inventory rose only 5.6%. Buyers are still showing up faster than choices are being added.

Sales outpaced supply, three months ending August 31, 2026
Homes sold (Primary market)8.8%Homes for sale (Primary market)5.6%
Real Estate Data Aggregator, year-over-year change.
Source: Real Estate Data Aggregator, the three months ending August 31, 2026

That gap matters for homeowners. More listings arrived, yet buyers absorbed them. Nationally, the National Association of Realtors reported inventory at 1.60 million homes in September 2026. Your local market added supply too, but demand kept ahead of it.

For buyers, this is more selection than last year. But it is not a loose market. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% as of October 29, 2026. That cost is real, and it has not gone away.

Primary market totals, three months ending August 31, 2026
Homes sold
up 8.8% from a year before
Homes for sale
up 5.6% from a year before
New listings
up 11.2% from a year before
Pending sales
up 2.1% from a year before
Source: Real Estate Data Aggregator, the three months ending August 31, 2026

How each ZIP code read in this period

The market-wide picture is encouraging. But each ZIP told a different story. Here is what the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted for each one.

ZIP by ZIP snapshot, three months ending August 31, 2026
Johnston 50131Ankeny 50021Ankeny 50023Urbandale 50322
Median sale price$393,500$340,000$350,000$289,000
Homes sold146275260137
Median days on market25562318
Sale to list98.8%99.3%99%98.4%
Months of supply2.62.62.52.2
Real Estate Data Aggregator. Lower days on market and lower months of supply favor sellers.
ZIP by ZIP snapshot continued, three months ending August 31, 2026
Urbandale 50323Waukee 50263W. Des Moines 50265W. Des Moines 50266
Median sale price$455,000$399,995$315,000$375,000
Homes sold115278124204
Median days on market47831529
Sale to list99.5%99.7%98.7%98.4%
Months of supply3.742.93.5
Real Estate Data Aggregator. Lower days on market and lower months of supply favor sellers.
ZIP by ZIP snapshot continued, three months ending August 31, 2026
Polk City 50226Clive 50325Grimes 50111
Median sale price$445,000$530,500$351,250
Homes sold6592131
Median days on market303136
Sale to list98.6%98.3%99.9%
Months of supply1.72.83.3
Real Estate Data Aggregator. Lower days on market and lower months of supply favor sellers.

A few ZIP codes worth a closer look

Johnston (50131) saw the Real Estate Data Aggregator count sales jump 49% year over year. That is a big move. New listings rose 35.3% in the same ZIP, so supply followed buyers in.

Polk City (50226) was the tightest spot. The Real Estate Data Aggregator showed only 1.7 months of supply there, down 2 months from a year before. Sales rose 58.5% and pending sales rose 70.8%.

Waukee (50263) is the other end of that range. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put months of supply at 4 months there. Median days on market came in at 83 days, 12 days longer than a year before. More patience is needed in that ZIP.

Grimes (50111) had the highest sale-to-list ratio in the market. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put it at 99.9%, up 0.9 points. Nearly 3 in 10 homes there sold above list price.

What the national picture adds

The National Association of Realtors reported existing-home prices up 1.3% nationally in September 2026. Your local ZIPs showed a wider range, from down 5.4% in Ankeny 50023 to up 32.6% in Clive 50325.

Nationally, Realtor.com put median days on market at 64 days for the week ending October 24, 2026. Most of your local ZIPs moved faster than that. West Des Moines 50265 came in at 15 days. Only Waukee 50263, at 83 days, ran slower than the national figure.

Freddie Mac also reported the 15-year fixed rate at 6.60% as of October 29, 2026. Buyers who can manage the higher payment on a shorter loan are still finding options here.

In short
  1. Across the Primary market, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,827 homes sold in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 8.8%.
  2. Inventory rose too, but only 5.6%.
  3. Buyers are still absorbing new supply.
  4. Most ZIPs sit under 3 months of supply.
  5. Waukee is the exception at 4 months.
  6. Rates remain above 7%, per Freddie Mac, so pricing still has to be sharp.

One street can read very differently from the whole ZIP code. The numbers above give you the shape of the market. Your block may be tighter or softer than your ZIP's median.

Your next step

(515) 729-2362

Text me your address and I will send back how your home compares with what actually sold in your ZIP during the three months ending August 31, 2026. Takes a day, costs nothing.

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Where these numbers came from