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Are you planning a home purchase in Tacoma, Washington in 2026? If so, this is a great place to start your research. In this article, we take a look at current Tacoma real estate market trends, mortgage rates, housing forecasts, and other topics essential to home buyers.
Tacoma is a fabulous place to look for a new home in 2026. In fact, many buyers who would otherwise be unable to afford a home in Seattle often turn to nearby Tacoma for much more affordable home prices.
Tacoma is close enough to Seattle to commute to and from every day, but its home prices are a lot easier for buyers to digest and fit into their budgets. Perhaps it’s this reason why Tacoma is currently experiencing a very hot real estate market right now.
Related: Free Home Buyers Guide eBook
With 2026 in full swing, many home buyers are looking ahead to the coming month, particularly when it comes to buying a home in Washington State. And many are asking the same question: Is 2026 a good time to buy a home in Tacoma?
Perhaps a better question would be; how much might it cost you if you wait? Home prices in Tacoma are expected to rise quite a bit through 2026, just as they did the year before.
According to the Seattle Times, Tacoma is one of the hottest markets in the country. With a limited inventory of a 2.9-month supply in overall Pierce County and housing prices expected to inch up this year, if you buy a home in Tacoma later in 2026 as opposed to earlier, you’ll probably pay more.
Another crucial consideration is your personal finances. Make sure buying a home in Tacoma, Washington is the right move based on your lifestyle and current financial position.
Do you have a steady income? Do you expect that to continue uninterrupted for the foreseeable future? Are your current monthly expenses manageable? Do you plan to live in the area for at least the next few years?
If you answered yes to these questions, buying a home in Tacoma may be a smart move.
Tacoma’s real estate market is very competitive right now, partly due to an inventory shortage of homes for sale. According to Zillow, Tacoma is one of the hottest housing markets in the nation right now.
While housing prices dipped 1.1% over the past 12 months, they are expected to rise over the next year. Many homes sell within days of being listed, and the typical home found a buyer in 36 days.
That might sound overwhelming and even scary for buyers, especially first-time buyers who are new to the real estate market. But even in a tight real estate market like Tacoma, Washington, there are several things you can do to increase your chances for success, and financing is a big part of it. If you’re thinking about buying a home in Tacoma in 2026, make sure you have your finances in order before you enter the real estate market.
For cash buyers, this means having the money in the bank, with bank statements to prove it. Home buyers using a mortgage loan can benefit from getting pre-approval by a mortgage lender. In a competitive market like Tacoma, sellers will want to know that you have your financing squared away.
Mortgage rates have been dipping over the past year. Right now (as of January 2026), rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage are 6.09%.
Looking forward, analysts with both the Mortgage Bankers Association and Freddie Mac expect interest rates to decrease slightly throughout 2026 to 6% or even lower.
This outlook, combined with the forecast for rising home prices, has created some urgency for home buyers in Tacoma and across the Seattle metro area to get into the market. In short, those who buy today can take advantage of lower home prices before they continue to rise, while those who postpone their purchases until later in 2026 could end up paying more for a home. So there’s a lot to consider.
Federal housing officials recently announced they would increase both FHA loan limits and conforming loan limits for 2026.
In 2026, the loan limit for a single-family home purchase in Tacoma is $1,063,750. To be clear, borrowers can still obtain financing above these limits. It would just require a “jumbo” mortgage, and that often means a larger down payment as well.
Right now, the median home price for Tacoma is around $478,988. This means home buyers should have plenty of properties to choose from, well within the FHA and conforming loan limits stated above.
Will you need a mortgage loan when buying a home in Tacoma, WA? We can help. Sammamish Mortgage has been serving buyers across the Pacific Northwest since 1992, including Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and California. We are a local, family-owned mortgage company based in Bellevue, WA providing many mortgage programs to clients, including our Diamond Homebuyer Program, Cash Buyer Program, and Bridge Loans, among others. Visit our website to get an instant rate quote or to use our mortgage calculator. Or, contact us today with any financing-related questions you have or to get pre-approved.
Whether you’re buying a home or ready to refinance, our professionals can help.
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No Obligation and transparency 24/7. Instantly compare live rates and costs from our network of lenders across the country. Real-time accurate rates and closing costs for a variety of loan programs custom to your specific situation.
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