The short version
These are the numbers that just closed out August 2026. Ada County prices are up about 7% on the year and sales are up about 15%. But pending sales fell 8% in a month, and mortgage rates crossed 7% in late September. So the fall market starts with sellers holding the numbers and buyers holding the calendar.
Ada County headline numbers
Single-family homes, Ada County (Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Star and Kuna). Source: Boise Regional REALTORS®, August 2026 Market Report, Intermountain MLS data as of September 8–9, 2026, released September 14, 2026.
| Metric | August 2026 | vs. August 2025 | vs. July 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $595,000 | +6.9% (was $556,522) | -1.2% |
| Closed sales | 955 | +14.8% (was 832) | +0.8% |
| Active inventory | 1,979 | -10.6% (was 2,213) | +0.2% |
| Months of supply | 2.4 | -0.6 (was 3.0) | flat |
| Median days on market | 37 | -4 days (was 41) | +3 days |
| Pending sales | 1,269 | +11.2% (was 1,141) | -8.2% |
| Sale-to-list ratio* | 99.5% | +0.4 pts | — |
*Sale-to-list is Redfin’s figure for Ada County, three months ending August 2026, because BRR didn’t publish one. BRR also didn’t publish new listings this month.
Is it a buyer’s or seller’s market? BRR’s own stat sheet labels 2.4 months of supply “balanced.” By the yardstick I use, two to three months still leans a little toward sellers. Either way, it’s nothing like the frenzy of 2021.
Resale vs. new construction
New construction is my niche, so this is the table I spend the most time with. Source: Boise Regional REALTORS®, August 2026, Ada County.
| Resale | New construction | |
|---|---|---|
| Median price | $579,900 (+3.6% YoY, -3.4% MoM) | $629,000 (+13.8% YoY, +3.1% MoM) |
| Closed sales | 658 (+17.9%) | 297 (+8.4%), 31% of all sales |
| Pending sales | 557 (+8.6%) | 692 (+10.2%) |
| Inventory | 991 (-17.3% YoY, -7.1% MoM) | 988 (-2.7% YoY, +8.7% MoM) |
| Months of supply | 1.9 | 3.4 |
| Days on market | 30 | 54 |
What it means. Resale is tight at 1.9 months of supply. New construction carries nearly half the county’s inventory and sits almost twice as long. The new-build median is now about $49,000 above resale, and new inventory rose 8.7% in a single month.
For buyers, that’s where the room to negotiate is right now. Builders sitting on finished homes tend to talk about incentives, and my guides to builder incentives and rate buydowns explain how to compare them. For resale sellers, it means your competition may include a brand-new house down the road with a builder paying closing costs. I cover that on what your home is worth.
Community callouts
These come from Boise Regional REALTORS®’ August 2026 Ada County stat sheets. BRR publishes city-level notes, not city medians.
- Boise: average days on market of 22, “almost half as many days” as Eagle (40), Kuna (41) and Star (47). Boise made up 75% of the homes sold that were 31 or more years old, and all three sales under $300,000 in the county were in Boise.
- Meridian: 39% of all new homes sold in Ada County, and 41% of homes aged one to ten years. The county’s inventory increase was driven mostly by new listings in Kuna and Meridian.
- Eagle: average days on market of 40.
- Star: “The median price of homes in Star decreased by about $45,000.” Average days on market of 47, the slowest of the four cities named.
- Kuna: average days on market of 41. “62% of the new homes on the market in Kuna at the end of August were located across only six neighborhoods.”
City reads from Redfin
Redfin uses its own boundaries and a rolling three-month window, so these won’t match BRR. Read them as Redfin’s numbers.
| City (Redfin) | Window | Median | YoY | Homes sold | Days on market | Sale-to-list | Sold above list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise | 3 mo. ending Aug 2026 | $544,640 | +3.7% | 967 (+8.2%) | 12 (was 17) | 99.7% | 28.6% |
| Meridian | 3 mo. ending Aug 2026 | $567,474 | +3.2% | 842 (+32.0%) | 29 (was 34) | 99.6% | 20.2% |
| Eagle | 3 mo. ending Jul 2026 | $875,000 | +5.0% | 298 (+29.5%) | 53 (was 37) | 98.7% | 12.4% |
Redfin also showed 35.1% of Boise listings with a price drop over the same window.
Canyon County
Boise Regional REALTORS® doesn’t publish Canyon County publicly, so here are two other sources. They use different windows, so treat them as a rough guide.
- Canyon County (Redfin, three months ending August 2026): median $438,478, up 3.1%; 470 sales, up 10.1%; 40 days on market, down from 50; sale-to-list 99.4%; 18.3% sold above list.
- Nampa (Top Idaho Real Estate, IMLS data, August 2026): median $433,000, up 3.1% from $420,000; 252 sales (was 255); 20 median days on market; inventory 621 (was 605); new listings 322 (was 367). New construction was 34% of sales (86 of 252), and about 60% of sales included a seller concession.
The gap: Ada County’s $595,000 (BRR, August) against Canyon County’s $438,478 (Redfin, three months) is about $157,000. Because the sources and windows differ, I call it “roughly $150,000 or more.”
Rates
- 30-year fixed: 7.03% on September 24, 2026, up from 6.95% a week earlier and 6.30% a year ago (Freddie Mac PMMS). That’s the first time above 7% since January 2025 (NPR, September 24, 2026).
- 15-year fixed: 6.42%, up from 5.49% a year ago (Freddie Mac PMMS, September 24, 2026).
- The Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate a quarter point to 3.75%–4.00% on September 16, 2026, citing inflation that “remains elevated” (FOMC statement, via Advisor Perspectives).
In short, rates rose on inflation worries.
What that does to a payment
Approximate principal and interest only on a 30-year fixed loan. These exclude taxes, insurance, HOA dues and mortgage insurance, so your real payment will be higher. Illustrations based on Freddie Mac PMMS rates (September 24, 2026 and one year earlier); not a loan quote.
| Home price | Down payment | At 7.03% | At last year’s 6.30% | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $440,000 | 5% | ≈ $2,789/mo | ≈ $2,587/mo | +$202 |
| $595,000 | 20% | ≈ $3,176/mo | ≈ $2,946/mo | +$230 |
| $900,000 | 20% | ≈ $4,805/mo | ≈ $4,457/mo | +$348 |
| $1,300,000 | 20% | ≈ $6,940/mo | ≈ $6,437/mo | +$503 |
What people are asking me this month
- “Rates just crossed 7%. Should I wait?” Nobody can tell you where rates go next. I’d start with the payment you can comfortably carry today. If the house works at today’s rate, a later drop is a bonus. If it only works at a rate you’re hoping for, that’s a sign to wait or adjust the budget.
- “If prices are up 7%, why are so many listings cutting price?” Both can be true. The median measures what sold, and price cuts measure what didn’t sell at its first price. Redfin showed 35.1% of Boise listings with a price drop, and national data firms are tracking more price cuts across the West (Idaho Business Review, September 23, 2026).
- “Are builders still paying closing costs or buying down rates?” In Nampa, about 60% of August sales included a seller concession (Top Idaho Real Estate, IMLS). In Ada County, new construction’s 3.4 months of supply gives buyers room to ask.
- “Is new construction still cheaper than resale?” Not in Ada County this month. New is about $49,000 above resale.
- “Why are Canyon County homes so much cheaper, and is it worth the drive?” The gap is roughly $150,000 or more. Whether the drive is worth it depends on where you work, and that’s a conversation worth having city by city. My Moving to Boise guide is a good place to start.
My read
Sellers are holding the numbers: prices are up, resale supply is tight, and homes sold faster than a year ago. Buyers are holding the calendar: pendings slipped, new-build inventory is growing, and higher rates give anyone who isn’t in a hurry the time to be choosy. Boise Regional REALTORS®’ own commentary made a similar point: “If interest rates increase, the housing market could see continued pressure” (August 2026 report).
If you’re trying to figure out what this means for your Meridian home or your build in Kuna, book a call and we’ll look at your numbers, not the county’s. More months are on the market updates page.