December’s new-listing flow didn’t just close out 2025. It quietly defined how the 2026 market will behave. 

After a year where the Tri-Cities sold 7,970 homes, the region enters the new year with a fundamentally different internal structure. Demand edged upward as affordability tightened, and the buyers who could transact increasingly came from equity-rich, trade-up, and higher-end households. 

December’s new listing and inventory illustrate that shift. 

Our market no longer moves as one 

At the start of 2026, the Tri-Cities carried 2,442 active listings, split almost perfectly between three primary price tiers: 

• Affordable ($160K–$299K): 813 homes – 33% of inventory 
• Move-Up ($300K–$499K): 805 homes – 33% of inventory 
• Luxury ($500K+): 559 homes – 23% of inventory 
• Under $160K homes accounted for 11% 

Two-thirds of everything in December’s active inventory is above $300,000. It’s a dramatic departure from the old Tri-Cities market, where affordability once dominated. 

That inventory stack sets the early market pace for 2026. December’s new-listing pipeline shows who is actually stepping onto that field. Expect more changes and growth in the January and February new listings and active inventory. 

The December Pace  

December produced 560 new listings, up slightly from 542 a year earlier. But the mix mattered far more than the total. 

Affordable supply slipped slightly. 

Move-up supply held steady. 

Luxury supply surged. 

This is not a seasonal quirk. It’s 2025’s equity wave beginning to circulate. 

Three markets, three realities 

Affordable ($160K–$299K) 

Even with 205 new listings, only about one-quarter of this tier’s inventory was replenished in December. Demand continues to run hot relative to supply. Competition, tight marketing windows, and seller leverage remain embedded in this range. 

Affordability pressure is shifting upward. 

Move-Up ($300K–$499K) 

This is now the center of gravity of the Tri-Cities market. Inventory, new supply, buyer capacity, and builder output are in the closest alignment here. This is where deals get made, and pricing becomes sensitive to condition, location, and data. 

In 2026, this tier will decide whether the market inches higher, stays flat, or fragments further. 

Luxury ($500K+) 

The upper end is now well stocked. There are nearly 560 homes available, and there are 77 listings in the $1 million+ segment.  

What December really says about 2026 

The Tri-Cities is entering a segmented market. It’s likely to be a market driven less by speed and more by alignment with buyer capacity. 

• Below $300K remains competitive 

• $300K–$500K is the liquidity engine 

• $500K+ is where negotiation lives 

That is the structural legacy of 2025. In 2026, the winners will be the ones who understand which tier they are really in and price, market, and negotiate accordingly.