Published:
February 22, 2023
Last updated:
December 30, 2025
Boise Home Prices Increase in 2026: What Does This Mean for Buyers?
In This Article

The Boise, Idaho metro area experienced some of the biggest home-price gains during the past two years. However, price gains have been more moderate this past year.

Boise’s Overheated Housing Market Cooled down

A few short years ago, Boise was one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. This is something we’ve written about in the past, and you probably already know the reasons for it. This metro area experienced a huge influx of buyers, suppressing inventory and sending home prices through the roof.

Over the couple of years, however, the formerly red-hot housing market of Boise, Idaho saw a much-needed cooling phase. You can see this by analyzing a variety of metrics, including month-to-month home price changes.

According to a recent report from Forbes, the Boise real estate market has experienced one of the biggest reversals in home price growth in recent months.

Prices Have Increased at a More Steady Pace

Today, Boise’s average home price is $485,649, as of January 2026. That’s a 0.9% increase from the same time last year.

We can view this as a kind of normalization within the real estate market. After suffering from a serious inventory shortage, the Boise housing market is starting to experience an increase in listings. This has shifted the balance between buyers and sellers, while also slowing the rapid price growth mentioned earlier.

This is one of several trends that could benefit Boise home buyers throughout 2026.

Homes Are Staying on the Market Longer

When it comes to the pace of home sales, houses listed for sale in the Boise real estate market spend a median of 41 days on the market. That’s up 9 days year-over-year. That means homes are spending more time on the market before finding a buyer.

This gives buyers more time to find a home and make an offer, but also means sellers are waiting longer to find a willing buer.

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A Great Opportunity for Buyers in 2026

At first glance, these recent trends might suggest that the Boise real estate market has become a bad investment. But that’s not the case at all. Instead, this real estate market is “correcting” itself after a period of unprecedented sales activity and price growth. This could bring great opportunities for home buyers planning to enter the market in 2026.

But prices have risen over the past few months and are expected to do the same throughout 2026. We have a lot of historical data to suggest such an occurrence.

If you look at home-price growth in the Boise area going back 40 years or so, you will see a slow-but-steady upward trend. The changes that occurred over the past three years represent an anomaly, which is slowly but surely unwinding itself. As the market continues to settle down, prices will likely continue the gradual rise that has occurred in the past.

All of this creates a good opportunity for Boise-area home buyers in 2026.

Inventory levels have been on the rise in recent months, giving buyers more properties to choose from. Additionally, a slower real estate market will take some of the stress out of the house hunting process. And then we have the price situation. When compared to the past two years, 2026 could bring some good bargains for Boise home buyers.

A Word About Loan Limits

In Boise, Idaho, the 2026 conforming loan limit — the maximum amount that conventional loans can be bought by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — is about $832,750 for a single-family home, reflecting recent increases tied to local home values. Loans above this amount are classified as jumbo loans, which often require stricter qualification criteria.

Meanwhile, the FHA loan limit in the Boise area for 2026 is $586,500 for a single-family home (with higher limits for duplexes and multi-unit properties). FHA limits are set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and are generally lower than conforming limits in many markets.

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Need a Mortgage Loan in Boise?

Planning to buy a home in Boise, ID during 2026? Want to get ahead of the spring home buying season? We can help. Sammamish Mortgage serves home buyers all across the Pacific Northwest, including the state of Idaho. We offer a broad range of mortgage programs, such as FHA, VA and conventional. Please contact our staff if you have mortgage-related questions, want to get pre-approved, or to get an instant rate quote!