Ann Arbor's Fall 2026 Market, By the Numbers

The Ann Arbor market in late October 2026 is a slower, better-stocked version of the market we saw a year ago. Prices have eased slightly inside the city, inventory has climbed across the county, and homes are taking longer to sell, while mortgage rates near 7 percent keep affordability front of mind for buyers. Here is where the numbers stand, and what to actually do with them.

Ann Arbor: prices ease, pace slows

Over the three months ending September 2026, the median sale price in Ann Arbor was $460,000, down 6.9 percent from the same period a year earlier, and homes sold in about 44 days, up from 39 days a year ago, according to Redfin. Zillow paints a slightly different detail: an average home value of $517,346 as of late September, up 3.0 percent year over year, with homes going under contract in about 21 days. The through-line is the same either way. Prices have settled off the recent high, and buyers have a touch more room to breathe than they did in 2025.

Washtenaw County: steadier medians, more to choose from

Outside the city limits, the county numbers held their ground. The median sale price in Washtenaw County was $433,549 in August 2026, up 0.8 percent year over year, per Redfin, and homes spent roughly the mid-30s in days on market over the summer. Inventory is the bigger story: single-family listings across the county were up 21.5 percent year over year in August 2026, according to Arbor Advising, and active supply kept growing into the fall. More homes on the market at near-flat prices is a textbook move toward balance.

Mortgage rates are the asterisk on every number

The 30-year fixed mortgage averaged 7.32 percent for the week ending October 22, 2026, down from 7.40 percent the week before but well above the 6.19 percent average from a year earlier, per Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. At these rates, the same monthly payment buys less house than it did in early 2025, so price guidance and rate strategy matter more than they have in years. That is where a local agent earns their keep.

What buyers should do with the numbers

• Get pre-approved before you tour. Approval in hand means you can move when the right home appears, and it sharpens the budget conversation at these rates.
• Use the slower pace to be thorough. Homes sitting 40-plus days give you room for inspections and second visits without the old scramble.
• Compare asking prices to what has actually sold nearby, not just to other listings. Your agent should show you both.
• Ask about seller concessions. With inventory up, sellers are more willing to talk about rate buydowns, closing cost help, and repairs.

What sellers should do with the numbers

• Price from the most recent closed sales, not last spring's peaks. The comparable set has shifted, and the list price that generates showings has shifted with it.
• Make condition part of the price. Buyers have options now, and a tired presentation sells slower and quieter than the street's quality would suggest.
• Spruce, don't remodel. Fresh paint, tidy landscaping, and neutral floors still move the needle far more than a full renovation before listing.
• Expect negotiation. With fewer buyers per home, plan for offer-level give and take instead of a single clean bid.

The takeaway

Fall 2026 is a market of reset expectations, not a falling market. Sellers who price with evidence and present with care still get offers. Buyers with approval, a sharp agent, and patience get the best conversations. If you would like to know what these numbers mean for a specific home or a specific block, that is exactly the call I pick up.

"The fall market is not falling apart, it is resetting. For sellers that means evidence-based pricing. For buyers it means approval first and patience second."

Nicole Elizabeth Yaeger