February 2026 Tacoma Real Estate Unfiltered

February brought new inventory to the market even more than last year by 17%. We love that! That means less people are sitting on the fence wondering if they should wait to sell, it’s a sign that things sellers had been putting off after the pandemic can’t wait any longer.

We’re seeing lots of people selling because they have to. What does that mean? We’re looking at divorces, job relocations, down-sizing, aging out of the home, upgrading and in some cases a death in the family. These are all big life changes and means that sellers have to be very strategic to make sure they get the proceeds that they need to move forward.

A lot of people think that means buyers have an upper hand, but ultimately everyone is being very choose-y, exercising caution and making serious moves. This plays out in pending and closed sales statistics. Even though there is more to choose from, there are many things that may keep these houses from selling or keep them sitting on the market longer.

Buyer timelines; lots of relocation buyers may have lending guidelines that give us a longer close. If you’re changing companies the underwriting department might want see a couple paystubs before they can approve the loan. This can mean that instead of a 30 day close, we’re looking at a 45 day close. That means the properties are sitting in pending longer.

Seller timelines; if there are legal channels to go through this can change a seller’s timeline significantly. In divorces, there can be specific timelines that listing agents and their clients have to adhere to as far as getting the house listed for sale or how many offers they can review. When someone passes away with or without a will can dictate who is able to sell or sign on behalf of the estate- that person may not be in the state, creating complications that can extend closings as well.