Blaine & Birch Bay Real Estate Market Update: September 2026

The September housing market in Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo continued to shift toward conditions that give buyers more choices and more time to make decisions.

According to Northwest Multiple Listing Service data for Area 880, 217 homes were available for sale in September, up 14.2% from 190 a year ago. At the same time, 73 new listings came on the market, a 40.4% increase from September 2025.

Homes are also taking considerably longer to sell. Median days on market increased from 32 days last September to 63 days this September.

September 2026 Market Snapshot

More Homes Are Competing for Buyers

The combination of more new listings, increased inventory and longer market times is changing the experience for both buyers and sellers.

For buyers, 217 available homes represents a dramatic improvement from the extremely limited selection of several years ago. In September 2021, Area 880 had just 48 homes for sale. Today’s inventory is more than four times that level.

However, current inventory isn’t exceptionally high when viewed over a longer period. Area 880 regularly had substantially more homes for sale during portions of the 2000s and early 2010s.

The market has moved a long way from the extreme inventory shortage of the pandemic-era housing market, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have an unusually large supply of homes by historical standards.

Are Home Prices Falling?

September’s median sale price was $547,950, down 6.3% from $585,000 last September.

It’s important to put that number in context.

Area 880 is a relatively small market, and the mix of properties that happen to close during a particular month can move the monthly median considerably. Looking at a longer period helps separate monthly fluctuations from a broader change in home prices.

The rolling 12-month median sale price is currently $569,250, compared with $570,000 one year ago—a difference of less than one percent.

That longer-term measure suggests that prices have been essentially flat over the past year, despite September’s lower monthly median.

Sales Activity Remains Slow

September produced 39 closed sales, down 17% from 47 last September. Pending sales declined from 37 to 34.

Again, the longer view provides some perspective. There were 426 closed sales during the most recent 12 months, compared with 422 during the comparable period a year earlier.

So while September itself was slower than September 2025, overall annual sales volume has changed very little.

What Does This Mean for Buyers and Sellers?

For buyers, the market offers considerably more selection than it did several years ago. Longer market times may also provide more opportunity to compare properties, complete appropriate due diligence and negotiate terms without the extreme time pressure common during the low-inventory market.

For sellers, increased competition means pricing and presentation matter more. Buyers who have several reasonable alternatives can afford to be selective, and homes that are priced significantly above competing properties may remain on the market longer.

September doesn’t show a dramatic change in the Blaine and Birch Bay housing market. Instead, it shows a market continuing to rebalance: more inventory, longer selling times, slower monthly sales activity and relatively flat longer-term prices.

We’ll continue following these numbers as the market moves into the traditionally slower fall and winter months.

Data source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS), Area 880. Residential and condominium properties. September 2026.