Des Moines Housing Market Catches Brief Tailwind Amid Fall Cool Off

October 10, 2025

September brought a surprising burst of activity to the Des Moines housing market. Total listings jumped more sharply than in previous years, signaling renewed energy this fall — potentially spurred by recent or expected changes in mortgage rates.

“We say it over and over again, and this is just more proof that the housing market in the Des Moines metro  is active,” said Eric Webster, President of the Des Moines Metro Area Association of REALTORS®. “Even as we move into the fall season, buyer confidence is strong, and the increase in listings gives both sides of the transaction more room to move. It’s encouraging to see steady growth paired with signs of balance returning to the market.”

Home inventory rose 13% from 3,889 active listings in September 2024 to 4,403 listings this year. When compared to August, when 4,206 active listings were recorded, September saw a 4.6% increase. 

Year-over-year, September experienced a rather sizable increase of 18% in home sales, with 1,152 homes sold compared to the 973 of the previous year. In September, discussions about lowering the interest rate by the Federal Reserve may have helped add fuel to September’s purchases. Despite the welcome increase in early fall sales, summer months still prove to be sales leaders, as September’s metrics fell 10.6% from August’s 1,290 home sales.

Pending home sales in Des Moines ended at 1,124 in September, a 1.9% drop from  the 1,146 pending sales of the same time in 2024. The metric represented a 5.3% decrease compared to August, which saw 1,188 pending sales.

Days on market increased by two additional days compared to last year, making for a 4% increase to 51 days. When compared to August, the days on market decreased by two days. 

Median sales price also saw a jump of 5.1% year-over-year bringing the median sales price to $305,000. The median price increased 0.6% from August’s median sales price $302,925. 

Out of the total of 1,153 homes financed, conventional financing was utilized for 796 transactions, or 69% of total home sales in September. Though cash financing was lower in September compared to August, dropping from 222 to 190 transactions, it’s still relatively similar in scale as it made for 16.4% of the total financing. FHA loans accounted for 8.6% - or 100 - total transactions in September.