Douglas County Real Estate in 8 Key Metrics: 2025 Year in Review

Each January, I review what the local data actually shows about our housing market, not headlines or national trends, but what happened here in Douglas County. 2025 was not dramatic. It was a year of gradual normalization. Here are the eight metrics that best tell the story.

Prices Held — But Time-to-Sell Extended

Home prices changed very little in 2025, continuing a pattern we've seen for nearly four years. Instead of market momentum pushing prices higher, property-specific factors now matter more: location, condition, layout, and upgrades. Well-prepared homes still sell well; others do not. The average time to sell increased from 59 days in 2024 to 75+ days in 2025. This matters for planning. Selling a home now often takes months, not weeks.

Inventory, Sales, and the Monthly Pace

Inventory rose slightly from 3.6 months to 4.8 months. This is not disruptive, but if inventory and DOM continue rising together, it could eventually pressure prices downward. About 1,300 homes sold in 2025, down slightly from 2024 but higher than 2023. Even after mortgage rates doubled from the 2020-2022 era, sales volume is only about 24% lower, a sign our market remains resilient.

Rates, Affordability, and the Selling Season

Accepted offers averaged 125 per month in 2025 vs. 131 in 2024. Fewer bidding wars, more negotiations, and a more balanced pace. Listings increased slightly from 156 to 159 per month, and sellers listed earlier in spring and continued later into fall. The selling season was longer than normal.

Mortgage Rates and Affordability Edge Up

Average mortgage rates changed little overall (6.75% to 6.61%), but dropped noticeably in late summer, ending 2025 around 6.0-6.25%, the lowest in over three years. Early 2026 remains volatile but is trending positive. The local affordability index rose modestly from 73.68 to 75.19, meaning the average household still earns only about 75% of what's needed to afford the median home. However, late-2025 data shows affordability improving toward 80%, which is encouraging.

Bottom Line: Stabilization, Not Stagnation

Bottom line: 2025 wasn't a boom or a bust. It was a year of stabilization. Prices held steady, inventory rebuilt slowly, buyers became more careful, and sellers more strategic. If affordability continues improving, 2026 could be even healthier.

The resilience of our local real estate market is quite remarkable. Anyone would have been justified to think that the combination of astounding home price appreciation in 2020-2022 and a dramatic increase in mortgage rates from 3.5% to over 7.0% inside of 8 months in 2022 would bring the real estate market to a standstill. In fact, quite the opposite has occurred, and the local real estate market has taken 4 years to take a breather and cool off from its unsustainable pace. Affordability metrics are beginning to take a positive turn for the better, albeit slowly. We'll see if this trend continues into the year.