As we head into fall, the housing landscape across Corvallis, Albany, and Lebanon is moving away from the frantic pace of recent years and settling into a friendlier, more balanced rhythm. For prospective buyers, a steady rise in active inventory means you finally have the room to shop with patience, compare options, and negotiate.
Meanwhile, sellers can remain highly optimistic. Demand remains strong, with monthly home sales posting double-digit climbs across all three cities
Corvallis continues to stand out as a highly desirable, premium housing market where property values remain remarkably sturdy. In August 2026, the median sales price crept up slightly to $617,900, which is about 6.3% higher than the month of July and 15.7% higher than last August. Buyers were highly active, with completed sales jumping to 65 homes sold, 14% higher than August. While the number of fresh properties listed in August dipped to 74, the total number of homes available for buyers to tour grew to 201. That is a 4.1% jump in active inventory from July, giving local house hunters some much-needed breathing room.
A typical Corvallis home spent about 68 days on the market before finding a buyer, and sellers accepted an average of 98.8% of their original asking price. This shows that while buyers have a little more room to negotiate, Corvallis properties are still holding their premium values.
The statistics from the first eight months of 2026 paint a picture of a very strong and resilient Corvallis market. So far this year, the median sales price is $602,500, marking a solid 4.8% increase over the $575,000 average during the same months in 2025. Buyers have refused to sit on the sidelines, with completed sales rising 9.6% to 364 homes sold YTD. This steady demand has been met by an enthusiastic wave of sellers, who have introduced 585 new listings to the market—a sharp 17.7% increase compared to last year’s 497. With more options on the table, the typical time to sell a home has stretched slightly to 62 days. That’s up from 59 days in 2025. Yet, even with more competition, Corvallis sellers continue to hold excellent pricing power, averaging 99.5% of their original asking price.
Albany, Stability and Options
For Albany buyers, August 2026 brought signs of greater flexibility. The median home price was $456,626, up about 7.4% from July and down around 1% from August 2025. Buyers also had more choices, as active inventory rose to 246 homes, up nearly 2.5% from July and 13.9% year over year. The 116 new listings added in August reflected a normal seasonal dip from July but were still 27.5% higher than last August. Homes took an average of 70 days to sell, dipping 3.4% from the month of July. Sellers continued to see strong results, receiving an average of 99.5% of their asking price, showing that well-priced homes are still drawing serious offers.
When we step back and look at the first eight months of 2026, Albany’s market is showing great long-term health and stability. The year-to-date median sales price sits at $442,250, which is about 5% lower than the $464,900 average during the same period in 2025. Rather than a sign of a struggling market, this price adjustment has acted like a green light for local families, driving a 12.9% surge in completed sales, with 570 homes sold so far this year compared to 505 last year. Sellers have also been eager to participate, listing 810 new homes for sale—a 14.6% increase over last year’s 707. Because buyers have more options, homes are staying on the market just a little longer, averaging 73 days compared to 64 days last year. However, sellers are still getting almost exactly what they ask for, bringing home an average of 99.3% of their list price—which is virtually identical to last year’s results.
Lebanon Gains
Lebanon experienced one of the most exciting and dynamic summer runs in our entire region, defined by rising prices and an extraordinary increase in choices for buyers. The median price of a home sold in August jumped to $430,000, which is a 6.7% increase from July and a massive 22.9% rise compared to last August. Sales activity was humming, with completed sales coasting to 31 homes sold. The 62 new listings put on the market in August represented a slight rise in inventory; the overall selection of homes active and available for sale reached 141. This is an absolutely historic 106.7% increase in new listings compared to last August, meaning buyers have more than twice as many new listings to choose from as they did a year ago. Because of this massive surge in choices, homes are taking a bit longer to sell, averaging 71 days on the market, and buyers are finding more room to negotiate, with sellers accepting an average of 97.6% of their asking price.
Looking at the broader trends for 2026, Lebanon is on a steady and reassuring upward path that bodes well for local homeowners. The year-to-date median home price sits at $396,000, a comfortable 3.6% increase over the $382,323 average from the same period last year. Overall market activity is up, with 238 completed sales so far this year compared to 226 in 2025. Sellers have been eager to list their properties, bringing 411 fresh homes to the market—a strong 16.4% jump from last year’s 353. With this influx of listings, the typical time a home sits on the market has stretched to 74 days compared to 65 days last year. Sellers are still finding very successful outcomes, walking away with a highly respectable 99.0% of their list price on average, showing that Lebanon remains a highly competitive and desirable place to live.
As we look back on the busy summer of 2026, the real estate landscape across Corvallis, Albany, and Lebanon gives us plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future. We are leaving behind the higher stress, bidding war transactions, and moving into a balanced market. The dramatic rise in the number of homes for sale means that buyers no longer have to make rushed, high-pressure decisions under fear of losing out.
At the same time, this is far from a weak market for sellers. Local demand is demonstrably real and active, with total completed sales showing steady, year-to-date growth across all three cities. While sellers may need to price their homes realistically and wait a few extra days for the perfect buyer to walk through the door, the overall market is in a sweet spot. It is a market where buyers have the freedom to choose with confidence, and sellers have a steady stream of eager local families ready to buy, creating a sustainable and thriving real estate community for the Willamette Valley.
Samantha Alley has 30 years of real estate experience and is a Principal Broker in the State of Oregon; she is a Team Leader and Office Advocate at REMAX/Integrity in Corvallis. She can be reached at sam@hometeamoregon.com
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