Published October 25, 2026 in Market Update

Some parts of the Primary market are moving much faster than others

By Tom Miller

Real estate, Primary market

Here is the number that matters most right now. Realtor.com reported a median of 62 days on market for homes sold this week, nationally. In this market, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted medians ranging from 15 days to 83 days across ZIP codes in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is a 68-day spread. Your ZIP code is not the same as your neighbor's.

How fast are homes moving, by ZIP code?

The Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked every ZIP code in the Primary market for the three months ending August 31, 2026. Some areas moved in under three weeks. One took nearly three months. Knowing which side your home sits on changes everything about how you price and prepare it.

West Des Moines 50265 had the fastest pace at 15 days, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Waukee 50263 was the slowest at 83 days. That is not a small gap. It means a seller in 50265 may be under contract before a seller in 50263 has even had their first showing.

The national picture adds more context

Realtor.com put the average mortgage rate at 7.40% as of October 22, 2026. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.32% as of October 22, 2026. Rates that high slow buyers down. That matters more in slower ZIP codes, where sellers are already waiting longer.

The National Association of Realtors reported existing-home sales nationally reached 3.99 million units in September 2026. Prices were up 1.3% from a year earlier, also nationally. Those broad numbers do not tell you what is happening on your street.

How quickly are buyers committing, by ZIP code?

Speed is not just about days on market. The Real Estate Data Aggregator also tracked how many homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. That number tells you how much urgency buyers feel in each area.

Urbandale 50322 led the market. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 48.7% of homes there going under contract within two weeks. Waukee 50263 was at the other end at 23.1%. Nearly half of homes in one ZIP code are snapped up fast, while fewer than one in four are in another.

What about prices and supply?

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,696 homes sold across the Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 7.7% from the same months of 2025. That is a healthy overall number. But the ZIP-level picture is uneven.

Waukee 50263 had 4 months of supply, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is the most of any ZIP code here. Polk City 50226 had just 1.7 months. Less supply generally means sellers face less competition. More supply means buyers have more choices and can take their time.

A few ZIP codes worth a closer look

Clive 50325 had a median sale price of $530,500, up 32.6% from a year earlier, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is the largest price jump in the market. Polk City 50226 saw homes sold jump 58.5% year over year. Johnston 50131 was up 49% in homes sold. Those are big moves in volume.

Not every ZIP code moved the same way. Urbandale 50323 saw homes sold drop 15.4% from a year earlier, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. West Des Moines 50265 was down 8.1%. Volume rising in one part and falling in another is exactly the kind of split that a broad market number hides.

Prices dipped in one Ankeny ZIP code

Ankeny 50023 had a median sale price of $350,000 in the three months ending August 31, 2026, down 5.4% from a year earlier, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is the only ZIP code in this market where the median price fell. It is worth noting because 50023 also had 23 median days on market, one of the fastest in the group. Speed and price do not always move together.

The overall market is active, but your street is its own story

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,760 new listings across the Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 9.2% from a year before. More homes are coming to market. That is good for buyers. For sellers, it means pricing and timing matter more than ever.

Realtor.com reported September pending home sales were down 11.3% year over year nationally. That national drag is real. But the Real Estate Data Aggregator showed pending sales across the Primary market up 1.6% for the same period. Local demand held up better than the national number suggests.