LONG BEACH — Home sales slowed in Pacific County iIn February as snow, strong winds, rain and other late-winter weather kept buyers away.

Only 19 house sales were completed countywide, with 14 of those plus one condo in south county — the peninsula, Chinook and Naselle.

The median selling price was $292,500 in the county as a whole, a 24% increase over February 2024, according to statistics from Northwest Multiple Listing Service. The 14 south county sales — the same number as in February 2024 — were for a median of $305,000, a 6.6% year-over-year increase.

“Median” means half sold for more and half for less. In a small real estate market like ours, the fluctuating mix of properties sold can result in substantial statistical ups and downs.

Elsewhere in the county, Raymond saw a 60% drop in completed sales — two this February compared to five last February — and they sold for an average of $142,500, a 34% decrease. Two South Bend houses sold for $325,000 and one sold in Menlo for $500,000. There were no sales in either town in February 2024.

Forty sales were pending countywide as the month ended — 29 south county houses and three condos, five Raymond houses, two in South Bend and one in Tokeland. A year earlier, there were 35 total pending sales. The most notable uptick in pending sales was in south county, with a 7.4% gain.

Overall as the month ended, 142 houses were on the market. South county had 111 houses plus 18 condos, increases of 54% and 29%. Elsewhere, Raymond had 18 houses for sale (down 10%), Tokeland four (down 50%), South Bend three (down 40%), Bay Center three (up 50%), Menlo one (down 50%) and Lebam two (unchanged from the previous February).

Regional trends

Thirty-year mortgage rates dropped slightly from 6.95% to 6.76%, but that may not be enough to encourage buyers when faced with continuing rising prices, according to NWMLS’s monthly update. In NWMLS’s 26-county region, the median price for residential homes and condominiums rose 2.4% from $615,000 in January 2025 to $630,000 in February 2025.

Although the region’s number of active listings is significantly higher than a year ago (39.4% greater), the annual growth in the number of transactions is much smaller (only 1.9%). “On balance relative to a year ago, more homeowners are wanting to sell,” said Steven Bourassa, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research (WCRER), “but buyers continue to be challenged by affordability.”

Overall, inventory levels remain stubbornly low. Most industry experts consider a balanced market to have 4 to 6 months of inventory. However, at the current rate of sales, it would take less than two and a half months (2.45) to sell every home that is for sale in the NWMLS service area. (In Pacific County, there is 7.47-month supply of houses and an 18-month supply of condos.

Meanwhile, homebuilders are bracing themselves for increases in construction costs following the White House’s announcement of tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico beginning March 4th. “The prices of materials will have a major impact on affordability,” said Bourassa, “and increases in construction costs will affect the prices of existing homes in addition to new homes.”

“The values of existing structures are based on their replacement cost,” he continued. “CoreLogic has estimated that the tariffs might increase the cost of home construction by 4% to 6% across the country, while household fixtures, such as appliances and cabinets, could increase in price by 10% to 20%.”