Salt Lake City · Q3 2026
Salt Lake City Market Report, Q3 2026
Research question
What did the Salt Lake City market actually do in the third quarter of 2026?
It got more disciplined, not weaker. Salt Lake County recorded 2,105 single-family closed sales between 1 July and 30 September 2026, down 10.7% from 2,357 a year earlier, per UtahRealEstate.com data pulled 5 October 2026, but the median sold price rose to $648,350 and homes sold closer to their original asking price than in Q3 2025, at 98.10% against 97.78%. Fewer sellers needed a cut to get there: 39.6% of sales involved a price reduction, down from 43.7%. Days on market did not move at all, holding at a median of 35. Above $1M the same pattern runs sharper, with sales up from 359 to 372, the median up 6.5% to $1,373,500, and homes selling five days faster. Demand stayed flat all quarter at an average of 146 active buyers a week, never leaving a band of 130 to 156. This report sets the county figures beside the luxury tier and the weekly demand, and says what a county median cannot describe about one street.
Geography: COUNTY: Salt Lake County, Utah (closed sales); CITY: Salt Lake City market area (buyer demand)
Period: 1 July to 30 September 2026, compared with the same quarter in 2025
By Kamee Shrope, published
$648,350
Median sold price
Up from $635,000 in Q3 2025
98.10%
Sold vs original asking
Up from 97.78%: less discounting
146
Active buyers per week
Flat across all thirteen weeks
What sold in Salt Lake County, and for how much?
Fewer homes, at higher prices, with less discounting. Per UtahRealEstate.com, the county recorded 2,105 single-family closed sales in the quarter against 2,357 a year earlier, while the median sold price rose to $648,350 and the median price per square foot held almost exactly flat at $251.42.
The measure worth watching is the gap between the first asking price and the final sale price. Half of all sales closed at 98.10% of their original asking price or better, improved from 97.78% a year ago, and the share needing a price reduction before selling fell from 43.7% to 39.6%. Sellers are starting closer to the mark and conceding less to get across the line.
Salt Lake County single-family closed sales, Q3 2026 against Q3 2025
| Measure | Q3 2025 | Q3 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Homes sold | 2,357 | 2,105 |
| Median sold price | $635,000 | $648,350 |
| Median price per square foot | $252.38 | $251.42 |
| Days on market (median) | 35 | 35 |
| Days on market (average) | 49.8 | 48.7 |
| Sale-to-list ratio, final list price (median) | 99.83% | 99.83% |
| Sold versus original asking (median) | 97.78% | 98.10% |
| Share that sold below original asking | 66.7% | 64.3% |
| Share with a price reduction before selling | 43.7% | 39.6% |
Sources: UtahRealEstate.com, single-family closed sales in Salt Lake County, 1 July to 30 September, pulled October 5, 2026. Includes new construction.
- Measure
- Homes sold
- Q3 2025
- 2,357
- Q3 2026
- 2,105
- Measure
- Median sold price
- Q3 2025
- $635,000
- Q3 2026
- $648,350
- Measure
- Median price per square foot
- Q3 2025
- $252.38
- Q3 2026
- $251.42
- Measure
- Days on market (median)
- Q3 2025
- 35
- Q3 2026
- 35
- Measure
- Days on market (average)
- Q3 2025
- 49.8
- Q3 2026
- 48.7
- Measure
- Sale-to-list ratio, final list price (median)
- Q3 2025
- 99.83%
- Q3 2026
- 99.83%
- Measure
- Sold versus original asking (median)
- Q3 2025
- 97.78%
- Q3 2026
- 98.10%
- Measure
- Share that sold below original asking
- Q3 2025
- 66.7%
- Q3 2026
- 64.3%
- Measure
- Share with a price reduction before selling
- Q3 2025
- 43.7%
- Q3 2026
- 39.6%
Sources: UtahRealEstate.com, single-family closed sales in Salt Lake County, 1 July to 30 September, pulled October 5, 2026. Includes new construction.
Demand held between 130 and 156 buyers a week for thirteen straight weeks, with the $1M-plus group between 32 and 52. The dip in the final week of September is where the autumn slowdown normally arrives. Source: RealScout buyer activity, exported 2 October 2026.
View the weekly numbers
| Week of | All prices | $1M and above |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 6 | 153 | 39 |
| Jul 13 | 135 | 36 |
| Jul 20 | 144 | 34 |
| Jul 27 | 153 | 47 |
| Aug 3 | 156 | 46 |
| Aug 10 | 153 | 43 |
| Aug 17 | 148 | 48 |
| Aug 24 | 147 | 52 |
| Aug 31 | 136 | 35 |
| Sep 7 | 153 | 42 |
| Sep 14 | 144 | 40 |
| Sep 21 | 146 | 44 |
| Sep 28 | 130 | 32 |
How did the luxury tier above $1M perform?
Better than the market as a whole, and in the opposite direction on volume. In the same UtahRealEstate.com pull, sales above $1M rose from 359 to 372 while total county sales fell, the median gained 6.5% to $1,373,500, and price per square foot rose 5.9% to $316.62.
Pace improved too. The median time to sell dropped from 40 days to 35, and the average from 58.5 to 53.2. Discounting eased in step: homes sold at 96.51% of their original asking price against 95.93% a year earlier, and the share needing a reduction fell from 39.3% to 36.3%.
The caution inside those numbers is that 69.6% of $1M-plus sales still closed below their original asking price. A strong tier is not the same as a forgiving one.
Salt Lake County homes sold at $1M and above, Q3 2026 against Q3 2025
| Measure | Q3 2025 | Q3 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Homes sold | 359 | 372 |
| Median sold price | $1,290,000 | $1,373,500 |
| Median price per square foot | $299.09 | $316.62 |
| Days on market (median) | 40 | 35 |
| Days on market (average) | 58.5 | 53.2 |
| Sold versus original asking (median) | 95.93% | 96.51% |
| Share that sold below original asking | 73.8% | 69.6% |
| Share with a price reduction before selling | 39.3% | 36.3% |
Sources: UtahRealEstate.com, single-family closed sales of $1,000,000 or more in Salt Lake County, 1 July to 30 September, pulled October 5, 2026.
- Measure
- Homes sold
- Q3 2025
- 359
- Q3 2026
- 372
- Measure
- Median sold price
- Q3 2025
- $1,290,000
- Q3 2026
- $1,373,500
- Measure
- Median price per square foot
- Q3 2025
- $299.09
- Q3 2026
- $316.62
- Measure
- Days on market (median)
- Q3 2025
- 40
- Q3 2026
- 35
- Measure
- Days on market (average)
- Q3 2025
- 58.5
- Q3 2026
- 53.2
- Measure
- Sold versus original asking (median)
- Q3 2025
- 95.93%
- Q3 2026
- 96.51%
- Measure
- Share that sold below original asking
- Q3 2025
- 73.8%
- Q3 2026
- 69.6%
- Measure
- Share with a price reduction before selling
- Q3 2025
- 39.3%
- Q3 2026
- 36.3%
Sources: UtahRealEstate.com, single-family closed sales of $1,000,000 or more in Salt Lake County, 1 July to 30 September, pulled October 5, 2026.
What were buyers doing through the quarter?
Watching steadily rather than surging or disappearing. Per RealScout buyer activity exported 2 October 2026, an average of 146 buyers held a live search on the Salt Lake City market area in any given week, and the count never left the 130 to 156 band across thirteen weeks. Over the full 90 days, 616 buyers searched the city and viewed homes 8,823 times, about 14 homes each.
Buyers above $1M were 185 of those 616, roughly 30% of the active pool. They view fewer homes each, about nine, which is a different buying pattern rather than weaker interest: a smaller set of candidates, considered more carefully.
In Kamee’s words
What this quarter looked like on the ground
What I saw this quarter
One of the biggest things I saw this quarter was how much pricing decided who had the upper hand. Buyers are paying attention, and with rates where they are, they are far more willing to sit back, watch a home and wait. When a home came on priced too high, the longer it sat, the more negotiating power moved to the buyer.
I also saw a real difference by neighbourhood. Some areas simply had a stronger buyer pool than others, so you could not look at the market as a whole and assume every home would perform the same way.
Sellers who came out at a competitive price were in a much stronger position. Those homes got activity sooner, and in some cases multiple offers. When you have not been sitting on the market for weeks, you have far more ground to stand on in a negotiation. I saw sellers stay very close to their asking price, and some go above it.
A sale from this quarter
I experienced this firsthand with a home I sold that closed in September. My seller had a hard time getting comfortable with the price I recommended, which I completely understood. It is hard to look at your home and feel you may be leaving money on the table. So we listed at a price that felt more comfortable to him.
The home sat longer than he wanted, and we eventually sold for slightly less than the price I had originally recommended. Had we started at that more competitive price, I believe we would most likely have gone under contract sooner and potentially sold for more. The extra time on market gave the buyer more negotiating power. It was a good reminder that pricing a home higher does not always protect a seller’s equity. It can do the opposite.
My advice for the next ninety days
If you are selling, listen to your advisor on pricing. That does not mean giving your home away. It means understanding where buyers are actually responding, and positioning your home to create interest from the beginning. Buyers have more patience right now, especially with higher rates, and they will wait for a home to feel competitively priced. The sellers who understand that are the ones putting themselves in the strongest position.
Questions this report answers
Is the Salt Lake City housing market slowing down in 2026?
Sales volume fell 10.7% in the third quarter of 2026, from 2,357 single-family closings to 2,105, but prices did not follow. The median rose to $648,350, homes sold closer to their original asking price than a year earlier, and days on market held at a median of 35. Lower volume with firmer pricing is a tighter market rather than a weaker one.
What is the median home price in Salt Lake County?
The median single-family sold price was $648,350 for the third quarter of 2026, up from $635,000 in the same quarter of 2025, per UtahRealEstate.com. Above $1M the median was $1,373,500.
How long does it take to sell a house in Salt Lake County?
A median of 35 days in the third quarter of 2026, unchanged from the same quarter in 2025. The average was 48.7 days. Homes above $1M sold slightly faster than a year earlier, at a median of 35 days against 40.
Do Salt Lake County homes sell for asking price?
Most sell below their first asking price. 64.3% of third-quarter 2026 sales closed below the original list price, and the median sale came in at 98.10% of it. Measured against the final list price, after any reductions, the median was 99.83%.
Are sellers cutting prices in Salt Lake County?
Less often than a year ago. 39.6% of third-quarter 2026 sales involved a price reduction before selling, down from 43.7% in the same quarter of 2025. Above $1M the figure fell from 39.3% to 36.3%.
How many buyers are active in the Salt Lake City market?
An average of 146 buyers held a live search in any given week of the quarter, within a narrow 130 to 156 band. Across the full 90 days 616 buyers searched the market and viewed homes 8,823 times, with 185 of them looking above $1M.
How were these figures produced?
- Closed sales pulled from UtahRealEstate.com on October 5, 2026, for single-family homes in Salt Lake County, 1 July to 30 September 2026 and the same dates in 2025.
- Sale-to-list uses the final list price. Sold-versus-original compares the sold price with the first asking price, which is the measure that shows how much repricing a sale required.
- Price per square foot is sold price divided by total square feet, taken as the median across sales rather than an average of ratios.
- Buyer-demand counts come from RealScout, exported October 2, 2026. Weekly averages exclude the week of 29 June, when tracking began mid-week.
What are the limits of this data?
- County-wide medians describe the county. Individual neighbourhoods inside it moved differently this quarter, which is the point of the commentary above.
- UtahRealEstate.com reports a single days-on-market figure, so this report cannot separate standard from cumulative days on market for Salt Lake County.
- Buyer-demand figures reflect buyers active on RealScout, not every buyer in the market.
- One quarter against the same quarter a year earlier is a comparison, not a trend. The next edition adds a second data point.
Where do these numbers come from?
Every figure on this page comes from one of the sources below, each listed with the date it was pulled and what it does and does not cover.
UtahRealEstate.com
Pulled October 5, 2026, for closed sales 1 July to 30 September 2026 and the same quarter in 2025
Single-family closed sales in Salt Lake County, including new construction. Sale-to-list uses the final list price; sold-versus-original compares against the first asking price. UtahRealEstate.com reports a single days-on-market figure, so days on market and cumulative days on market are identical in this source.
RealScout buyer activity, Kamee Shrope’s brokerage search platform
Exported October 2, 2026, covering 29 June to 28 September 2026
Counts buyers with a live saved search matching the market in a given week, and the homes they viewed. These are buyers active on RealScout rather than every buyer in the market: a sample of real behaviour, not a census. The week of 29 June is excluded from averages because tracking began mid-week.
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