Sep 2026
$227K
+4.1% year-over-year
How it’s calculated
Rolling 3-month median sale price vs. same 3 months one year prior.
Waterloo, IA housing market
Waterloo, IA metro median sale price $227K in Sep 2026, up 4.1% year over year. Also days on market, price cuts, affordability and ZIP-code figures.
The median sale price in the Waterloo, IA metro is $227K as of Sep 2026, up 4.1% from a year earlier. The gain is larger than in most of the 383 U.S. metros Pecan Street ranks on this measure. FHFA's repeat-sales index for the metro agrees within 1.5 points (up 2.6% through Q2 2026).
On median sale price, Waterloo ($227K) ranks 7th of the eight Iowa metros Pecan Street tracks, between Cedar Rapids ($248K) and Davenport ($209K). On median days on market, Waterloo (54 days) ranks 4th of the eight Iowa metros, between Ames (54 days) and Sioux City (48 days). On share of listings with a price cut, Waterloo (46%) ranks 2nd of the eight Iowa metros, between Dubuque (54%) and Ames (44%).
Listings spent a median 54 days on market in Sep 2026, fewer than in most of the 385 metros. 46% of active listings carry a price cut, 2.3 points fewer than a year earlier. That share is higher than in most of the 385 metros.
At the 7.29% 30-year fixed rate with 20% down, principal and interest on a median-priced home come to $1,245 a month; at 28% of gross income, that takes about $53K a year. The median sale price equals about 14 years of HUD Fair Market Rent, a ratio up 0.8% from a year earlier. That ratio is lower than in most of the 373 metros. Active listings ask a median $145 per square foot, down 1.6% from a year earlier.
In three of the five ZIP codes in the table below, median list prices are lower than a year earlier; two are higher.
Headline
Oct 15, 2026
7.29%
30-year fixed
Where it comes from
National benchmark: Optimal Blue OBMMI 30-year conforming, via FRED. An average of rates borrowers have actually locked, updated daily.
The same rate appears on every market page.
Principal & interest
$1,245/mo
$53K/yr income needed
How it’s calculated
Payment — this market’s median sale price with 20% down, on a 30-year fixed loan at the rate shown. Principal and interest only — no property tax, insurance, PMI or HOA.
Income needed — that payment at 28% of gross income. A rule of thumb, not a lending decision.
How Waterloo compares to other U.S. metros
| Price cuts | ↑68th of 385 (top 18%) |
|---|---|
| Price-to-rent | ↓298th of 373 |
| Home-price growth | ↑130th of 383 (top 34%) |
| Days on market | ↓238th of 385 |
Rank across the U.S. metros Pecan Street tracks, on market data alone — a higher rank means more of that measure (more price cuts, faster price growth, a wider asking-vs-sale gap, a higher price-to-rent ratio, or more days on market). The bar shows where this metro sits within that metric’s own cohort (left is more, right is less); ↑ and ↓ mark the positions furthest from the middle, and rows are ordered the same way. Metrics without data for this metro are omitted.
Affordability
| Price-to-rent ratio | ≈ 14 +0.8% YoY ↓298th of 373 |
|---|---|
| Asking price / sq ft | $145 -1.6% YoY |
Price-to-rent divides the median sale price by the annual HUD Fair Market Rent (a 3-bedroom, 40th-percentile benchmark), so it is a directional rent-vs-buy read, not a cap rate; its year-over-year change is directional in the same way. Asking price per square foot is the median across active for-sale listings (Realtor.com), as of Sep 2026. The bar under a figure places this metro among the U.S. metros we track on that measure, highest first.
Market pressure
| Listings with a price cut | ≈ 46% -2.3 pts YoY ↑68th of 385 (top 18%) |
|---|
Price-cut share is the portion of active for-sale listings that have taken a price reduction (Realtor.com), as of Sep 2026. The bar under a figure places this metro among the U.S. metros we track on that measure, highest first.
Market facts
| ZIPs with listing data | 5 shown of 29 |
|---|---|
| MLS board of record | — |
| Price methodology | Redfin vs FHFA HPI |
| Data as of | Sep 2026 |
Recent signals
No signals flagged for this market right now.
Recent notable readings
- The FHFA house price index for the metro fell 0% from Q4 2008 to Q1 2010: the 5th-mildest bust of the 385 U.S. metros Pecan Street tracks with FHFA data; it has risen 76% since Q1 2010: the 25th-smallest rebound of the 382 metros whose prices fell. Q2 2026 is its highest reading on record.
Readings from the latest data that sit at one end of the U.S. metros Pecan Street tracks, from the nightly cross-metro comparison. They are not signal alerts.
Price reconciliation
normal · 1.5ppRedfin (metro) +4.1% | FHFA HPI · Q2 2026 +2.6% |
Year-over-year home-price change from two independent methods — Redfin (monthly sold price) and FHFA (quarterly repeat-sales index). When they diverge, the market is mid-shift; cite the figure with that in mind.
More markets in IA
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Try it freeZIP-level data
| ZIP | Median list price | Active listings | New listings | Price reductions | Days on market | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50613 | $357K↓ | 94↓ | 70↑ | 36↓ | 46↓ | $266K↑ |
| 50677 | $306K↓ | 41↑ | 12↑ | 22↑ | 76↑ | $281K↑ |
| 50701 | $260K↑ | 95↑ | 36↓ | 48↑ | 49↑ | $186K↑ |
| 50702 | $178K↑ | 49↑ | 24↓ | 24↓ | 46↑ | $150K↓ |
| 50703 | $130K↓ | 31↑ | 20↓ | 12↓ | 81↑ | $93K↓ |
ZIP figures from Realtor.com listing data; home value from Zillow ZHVI. ZIP codes shown have the most complete listing-data history and active for-sale inventory in this metro; the latest available month is shown per ZIP. Arrows show the direction of each figure against the same three months a year earlier; no arrow means the change rounds to zero or the comparison isn't available.