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August 2025 Home Sales Report

Wisconsin Home Sales and Median Prices Increase in August

Date: September 25, 2025

August 2025 at a glance

  • Wisconsin existing home sales in August increased by a modest 1.8% relative to August 2024, and the statewide median price rose to $338,000 over that same period, which is an annualized 5.3% increase.
  • The year-to-date picture was similar, with home sales increasing 1.1% compared to the first eight months of 2024, and the median price was up 5.2% to $325,000.
  • The peak months for Wisconsin home sales are May through August, with approximately 43% of annual closings occurring during those four months in a typical year. Home sales rose 3.3% compared to the peak sales period in 2024.
  • Statewide inventory improvements continued in August with total listings up 4.9% and months of supply up 5.1% over the last 12 months. Still, this remains a seller’s market with 4.1 months of supply, which is below the six-month benchmark that signals a balanced housing market.
  • The 30-year fixed mortgage rate remained elevated, rising 9 basis points from 6.50% in August 2024 to 6.59% in August 2025.
  • Homes were on the market an average of 69 days, up 4.5% from August 2024. Regionally, there is considerable variability in both the level and annual rate of change in this measure. For example, the North region saw the average home on the market for 86 days in August, up 13.2% over the last 12 months, and the West region had 81 days on the market, up 17.4% over the past year. Other regions had lower levels and lower rates of change.
  • Affordability was essentially unchanged, falling 0.1% over the last 12 months. Although statewide median family income is estimated to have grown 4.8% since August 2024, this was offset by higher sales prices and the slight increase in mortgage rates over the last year.

Additional analysis

Smaller Towns and Rural Markets Becoming More Balanced

“The more densely populated metropolitan counties have just 3.6 months of supply. By comparison, the counties with smaller cities and towns had 4.3 months of supply, and rural counties had 5.7 months of supply in August. Potential buyers will find better opportunities in those less urban markets.”

Chris DeVincentis, 2025 Chair of the Board of Directors, Wisconsin REALTORS®Association

Signs of Softening Housing Markets

“Improving inventory, moderating price appreciation and increasing days on the market are signs that the strong seller’s markets we’ve seen over the last few years continue to soften. This is welcomed news for young families still struggling to buy their first home.”

Tom Larson, President & CEO, Wisconsin REALTORS®Association

Fed Rate Cuts May Lead to Lower Mortgage Rates

“Weak labor market reports resulted in a quarter-point cut in the short-term federal funds rate in September, with additional cuts likely in the last two meetings for the Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee in October and December. While mortgage rates track longer-term rates, such as the 10-year treasury bill, which more closely align with the average term of a mortgage, the Fed is clearly concerned about recession, which can drive down treasury bill yields and lead to lower mortgage rates.”

Dave Clark, Professor Emeritus of Economics and WRA Consultant

About the WRA

The Wisconsin REALTORS® Association is one of the largest trade associations in the state, representing over 17,500 real estate brokers, salespeople and affiliates statewide. All county figures on sales volume and median prices are compiled by the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association and are not seasonally adjusted. Median prices are only computed if the county recorded at least 10 home sales in the quarter. All data collected by the WRA is subject to revision if more complete data becomes available. Beginning in June 2018, all historical sales volume and median price data from 2015 forward at the county level have been re-benchmarked using the Relitix system that accesses MLS data directly and in real-time. Data prior to January 2015 is derived from the Techmark system that also accessed MLS data directly. The Wisconsin Housing Affordability Index is updated monthly with the most recent data on median housing prices, mortgage rates and estimated median family income data for Wisconsin. Data on state foreclosure activity is compiled by Dr. Russ Kashian at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. 

Note that the WRA employs a slightly different protocol to determine inventory levels than the protocol used by the REALTORS® Association of South Central Wisconsin (RASCW). For consistency, the summary tables for the South Central region reported in the WRA release employ the WRA approach. However, a modified table employing the RASCW methodology is available from the WRA upon request.