Published October 25, 2026 in Market Update

One part of Jefferson Co Buy Box is still very tight

By Thomas Earnest

Real estate, Jefferson Co Buy Box

The national headline sounds like relief for buyers. Realtor.com reported active listings grew to 1.16 million homes for sale in September 2026. But one ZIP code in Jefferson Co Buy Box barely felt that. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted just 1.2 months of supply in ZIP 98358 (Nordland) in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is the tightest pocket in the whole market. Local supply is what shapes your deal, not the national number.

Nordland: the tight spot

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted only 3 homes for sale in Nordland during that period. Eight homes sold. Pending sales matched that at 8. Homes moved at a median of 30 days on market. Sellers there got 97.3% of their list price on average. That is a market with very little room to negotiate.

How the other ZIPs compare

The rest of Jefferson Co Buy Box is a different picture. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows supply ranging from 2.6 months in Port Townsend up to 7.4 months in Brinnon. More supply means more time to decide and more room on price. Not every part of this market is tight.

Port Townsend: the busiest market

Port Townsend (98368) had the most activity. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 77 homes sold there, up 28.3% from the same three months in 2025. Pending sales rose to 93, up 25.7%. Supply fell to 2.6 months, down 1.2 months from a year before. Nearly 4 in 10 homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. That is 39.8%, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Prices dipped, though. The median sale price came in at $570,000, down 20.9% from a year earlier. More buyers showed up, but they paid less.

Port Ludlow: more time, more choice

Port Ludlow (98365) sits at 5 months of supply. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the median sale price there was $654,500, down just 0.9% from a year ago. Homes took a median of 64 days to sell, 45 days longer than a year before. New listings fell 34.8%. Buyers have more inventory to browse, but sellers are waiting longer. The share of homes going under contract within two weeks dropped 17.6 points to 26.8%.

Port Hadlock: small but fast

Port Hadlock (98339) is a small market. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted just 8 homes sold and 12 for sale. But homes moved fast. The median days on market was 8 days. The average sale price came in at 100.2% of list, meaning sellers got every dollar they asked and a little more. Two thirds of homes, 66.7%, went under contract within two weeks. Supply sat at 4.6 months. Small sample, but the pace was real.

The wider picture: rates and price cuts

Nationally, Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates topped 7% in September 2026, the first time since January 2025. That raises the cost of buying anywhere. Realtor.com also reported that 20.8% of listings nationally had price reductions in September 2026, the highest share since October 2022. That is a sign sellers elsewhere are adjusting. Here in Jefferson Co Buy Box, the story depends entirely on which ZIP you are in.

The whole Buy Box in one view

Across all seven ZIPs together, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 153 homes sold, 185 homes for sale, 192 new listings and 176 pending sales in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is a market moving, not stalled. But the experience of buying or selling depends on the street, not the county total.