Whatcom County home prices jump as WA becomes the third most expensive state to buy a home
Median home sale prices in Whatcom County and Bellingham increased again in March, as Washington state has become the third most-expensive homes in the country.
Whatcom housing market
Whatcom County’s median home sale price has fluctuated throughout 2023 and 2024. The median home sale price reached an extreme high of $702,500 on Nov. 20, the highest price recorded in 2023, according to Redfin Metro Area Data. Redfin, a residential real estate brokerage, uses home listings to generate metro area data.
In February, Whatcom’s median home sale price fluctuated, reaching a high of $699,000 on March 11, then dipping to $632,250 on March 18, and then jumping to $672,500 on March 25.
Jason Lee, a local broker with Windermere Real Estate in Bellingham, said in an email to The Bellingham Herald that Whatcom County’s median sold price across March was $620,000, an 8% increase compared with February and a 10.7% increase compared with March 2023.
“Spring is here, and while inventory levels appear to be slowly trending up, many buyers are still dissatisfied with how few homes there are to choose from,” Lee said.
As Whatcom County’s median home sale price was $672,500, according to Redfin, King County had the highest median home sale price in the state at $925,000, and Lincoln County had the lowest at $185,000.
Whatcom County had the fifth-highest median home sale price in the state for March.
Bellingham’s housing market
The median price of homes sold in March in Bellingham was $627,025, a 0.47% increase compared to February, according to data from Rocket Homes.
In March, Bellingham’s median asking price was $710,000, according to Lee of Windermere Real Estate. That’s a 13.6 increase compared with February and a 15.4% increase compared with March of last year, Lee said.
“Despite the optics of our elevated mortgage rate environment, a well-priced home is selling more quickly and closer to list price when compared to last fall and winter. In short, I believe we have a stronger sellers’ market in our area than the general public realizes,” Lee said.
Washington housing market
Washington’s median home sale price in March was $617,700, an increase of over $30,000 compared to February’s median price of $587,200.
Washington is the third-most expensive state in which to purchase a home, according to March 2024 data, following California with a median home value price of $785,600 and Hawaii at $739,800. In February, Washington had the fourth highest home prices.
