What Made Maltby, Waterfront, and Acreage Homes So Competitive?

By Brandice Raybourn

Scarcity mattered more than one neighborhood

Snohomish’s standout July sales were spread across Maltby, Storm Lake, Fobes Hill, Seattle Hill, Three Lakes, Lake Roesiger, and the Pilchuck River area. The common thread was not a ZIP code. It was a feature buyers could not easily reproduce.

The premiums were meaningful

A Maltby-area home sold nearly 12% above asking. A Storm Lake property on a large lot sold about 4.1% above list, a Fobes Hill home sold about 2% over, and a Seattle Hill rambler sold nearly 5% above asking.

Water and character widened the buyer pool

A historic Three Lakes farmhouse sold around 7% above list. A Lake Roesiger waterfront home sold about 8% above asking, and a Pilchuck River property sold roughly 7.5% above. Waterfront, acreage, character, and a rambler layout can appeal to several different buyer groups at once.

These were not normal citywide results

Snohomish’s median closed seller received 97.3% of original asking, and 37 listings canceled or expired. Buyers were willing to stretch, but only when the home gave them a strong and specific reason.

What this means for your situation

Market statistics describe groups of properties, not the value or likely outcome of one individual home. Buyers should compare the property with the choices available in its exact price range and location. Sellers should look at the homes buyers can choose today, not only the sales they remember from a tighter market.

If I had to sum up July in one sentence: Maltby, waterfront, riverfront, acreage, and character homes became competitive because several buyer groups saw them as genuinely difficult to replace.

Read the Full Snohomish Housing Market Report

Want to see every Snohomish housing type and residential resale price range in one place?

Read the complete Snohomish Housing Market Update for August 2026.

The August report uses July 2026 NWMLS data. Market statistics describe groups of properties and do not determine the value or likely outcome of any individual home.

Brandice Raybourn
Coldwell Banker Danforth
Snohomish & North King County Real Estate Broker