Kootenai County Home Prices Hold Steady, Sales Dip as Inventory Tightens

Kootenai County’s median single-family home price was $552,500 in February, even as sales slowed and inventory tightened, according to data from the Coeur d’Alene Regional Realtors reported in a Coeur d’Alene Press market update published March 7, 2026. The county recorded 309 closed homes in the first two months of 2026, down 4.6% from the same period in 2025, and active residential listings totaled 656 as of March 4, down 11% year over year; the average days on market for the Jan–Feb period was 102, down nearly 15% from a year earlier.

That early-2026 snapshot sits alongside a steadier 2025 picture: KREM, citing the Coeur d’Alene Regional Realtors, put the county median at $549,000 for 2025 and reported 2,484 homes sold that year. KREM also noted 668 listings as of Jan. 6, 2026, and quoted Jennifer Smock, co-owner and managing broker with Coeur d’Alene/Windermere Realty and president of the Coeur d’Alene Regional Realtors, writing that, "The 2025 real estate year in North Idaho was notably steady, with no major market swings in either direction."

Local agents on the ground describe mixed signals. Jared McFarland of Century 21 Beutler and Associates said, "When looking at three-bedroom, two-bath single-family homes in Kootenai County, the number of active listings is almost equal to the number of pending listings," adding, "That’s typically a sign of strong demand combined with limited inventory." He reported rapid recent activity: "In fact, within the last 24 hours alone, about 20 properties have gone pending," McFarland said Thursday, and warned, "If demand continues to increase without a corresponding rise in inventory, we could see prices begin to climb more significantly."

Nearby Shoshone County is moving in a different direction: the median single-family price there was $342,500 in February, up 15.7% year over year, while just 22 homes sold in the first two months of 2026, up nearly 5% from a year earlier; listings in Shoshone were 78 as of Wednesday, down 20% year over year, according to the Coeur d’Alene Press report. Those figures underscore geographic variation within the regional market and potential affordability pressure outside Kootenai County.

Mortgage rates remain a central factor for buyers and sellers. KREM cited Bankrate.com averages showing a 30-year fixed mortgage at about 6.16% and a 30-year fixed refinance average at 6.55%, while Smock wrote that "Interest rates continued to be the dominant storyline, as buyers and sellers closely watched whether rates would rise, fall, or stabilize." Local broker commentary on Jacklinrealestate’s Jan. 7, 2026 recap added that inventory increased compared with recent years, months of supply moved closer to balance, and "median sales price stayed relatively flat" in 2025, returning negotiation leverage to buyers.

Looking ahead, agents and brokers are watching spring inventory and migration trends. McFarland said agents "are hoping to see more inventory come on the market this spring," and Smock told the Press, "I remain optimistic that we will see a strong summer selling season ahead." If inventory does not increase to meet current demand, McFarland’s caution that prices could climb "more significantly" remains the clearest near-term risk for buyers and sellers across Kootenai County.