The price of homes in Kootenai County is continuing to rise as CDA Press informs us:
According to the August report from the Coeur d’Alene Regional Realtors, the median price of a single-family home was $569,945, a 7.3% increase from one year ago and the highest on record.
Strong demand led to more sales. The number of Kootenai County homes sold, 1,754, was up 4.3% from August 2025.
This may come as some surprise to those watching the market, as there appears to be ample inventory and a lot of price cuts. But the data doesn’t lie and the article continues:
“A price cut tells you the seller’s first number did not work. It does not tell you what the home is worth,” said Jeremy Olsher, a real estate professional and principal at Mizner Residential Group. “Some reductions create a legitimate opportunity. Others simply bring an unrealistic price closer to where it should have started.”
Interest rates are also discussed, but only in hindsight. In the last couple weeks, rates have jumped from the mid-to-high sixes all the way to the low sevens. That means that, even if you have been waiting in the hope of scoring a deal later in the year, you’d probably end up paying a lot more over rate life of the loan than if you’d just bought in the summer or spring.
I don’t have a crystal ball, but as our general economy continues to be inflationary in nature, it’s hard to imagine large assets such as real estate going down in value. Most likely, we’ll still see slow appreciation due to enough demand to keep prices where they are.
Interest rates remain the wildcard here. The administration wants them lower, but the bond market is really what determines rates, not the Fed’s prime rate, and as the ten-year yield continues to surge due to the fallout from the war with Iran, it’s unlikely to see that changing anytime soon.
At the end of the day, if you can afford a home, it’s always a good time to buy, and there will always be times to refinance into better lender terms down the line.
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