Iowa Housing Market Builds Summer Momentum as Inventory and Sales Continue to Rise

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa –  Iowa’s housing market gained momentum in May as rising inventory and strong buyer demand signaled the arrival of a healthy summer market. 

“May's numbers reflect a market that is both active and balanced,” said Erik Melloy, Iowa REALTORS® president. “Buyers are benefiting from more inventory than we've seen in recent years, while sellers continue to see strong demand and steady price growth. The combination of increased inventory, rising sales and strong pending activity points to a productive summer ahead for Iowa's housing market.”

New listings continued to show clear signs of a robust summer market in May with 4,869 homes for sale, a 4% increase from the 4,683 new listings of one year ago. Conversely, month-over-month new listings dipped by 0.4% from the 4,887 of one month ago. 

Active inventory increased to 8,591 listings, a 7.2% increase over the 8,016 active listings of May 2025, and a 5.1% increase over the 8,175 active listings of April. 

There were 3,654 closed sales in May, a 0.6% increase from the 3,633 sales of the prior year, and a 17.3% increase over the 3,125 closed sales of April, a clear sign of a building summer market. 

Pending sales also illustrated the growth in our upcoming summer market, with 3,740 pending sales in May, a 4.1% increase from the 3,592 pending sales of one year ago. Monthly, pending sales dipped 4.2% from the 3,902  pending sales of April. 

Median sales price came to $260,000 a 4% increase over the $250,000 median sales price of May 2025. Monthly, the increase was 5.1% from the $247,500 median sales price of April. 

Days on market dipped to 10 median days on market, a 16.7% decrease from the 12 days of one year ago, and 9.1% from the 11 days on market last month. 

“The most encouraging trend we're seeing is that inventory growth is occurring alongside healthy buyer demand,” said Les Sulgrove, Iowa REALTORS® statewide housing analyst. “Closed sales, pending sales and median prices all moved in a positive direction, which indicates consumers remain confident in the market. As we move deeper into the summer season, these metrics suggest continued stability and opportunity for both buyers and sellers across Iowa.”

Condo & Townhomes 
New listings remained stable in May with 671 new properties on the market. Monthly, new listings dropped 10.1% from the 746 new listings in April.  

Active inventory increased 3.2% to 1,929 condo and townhomes on the market from the 1,869 listings of one year ago. Month-over-month, active inventory dropped 3.4% from the 1,996 active listings of April. 

Closed sales increased 10.8% to 597 sales from the 539 closed sales of May 2025. Closed sales of condos and townhomes in May jumped 29.8% from the 460 transactions of the previous month. 

Pending sales show a preview of a robust summer condo and townhome market. The 624 pending sales represent a 34.2% increase over the 465 pending sales of May 2025. Month-over-month, pending sales were more subtle, jumping 2% from the 612 pending transactions of April. 

Median days on market dropped 22% to 20 days, compared to the 25 median days on market of one year ago. Similarly, median days on market dropped 15.2% from the 23 days on market of one month ago. Median sales price for May came to $242,771, a 1.2% increase from the $240,000 of last year, and a 3.3% increase from the $235,000 median sales price of April.