The Dalles, OR Housing Market
AI-powered market intelligence for the The Dalles, OR metro area.
PropertyIQ Scores
The Dalles, OR Market Analysis
Market Overview
The Dalles, Oregon, is a weak real estate market by PropertyIQ standards, with a score of 12 out of 100. The score reflects mixed signals: 12-month home value momentum of 5.72%, 3-month momentum of -0.90%, median days on market of 84 days, and a 24.0% share of listings with a price cut. Compared with Oregon benchmarks, The Dalles has a lower median home value of $403,913 versus $502,156 and a higher rent index of $1,623 versus $1,450. The unemployment rate matches the state at 5.2%, but median household income of $63,602 is below the state average of $80,426.
The sales pace reinforces the weak score. With 106 homes for sale and a median days on market of 84 days, homes are lingering. A 24.0% price-cut share shows sellers adjusting expectations. The higher rent index suggests some rental demand, but the ownership market appears soft, and the 12/100 PropertyIQ Score signals caution.
Key Trends
First, price momentum is cooling. The 12-month home value momentum is 5.72%, but the 3-month momentum is -0.90%, and the median home value's year-over-year change is reported as -$3. This points to earlier annual gains that have recently flattened or turned slightly negative.
Second, inventory turnover is slow. The median days on market is 84 days, and 24.0% of listings have had a price cut. With 106 homes for sale, the market is not flooded, but homes are taking nearly three months to sell on average, giving buyers more time to negotiate.
Third, there is a rent-value mismatch. The rent index of $1,623 is above the state average of $1,450, while the median home value of $403,913 is below the state average of $502,156. Local rents are above the state benchmark while home prices are below it, which can interest rental investors, though the weak score and slow pace temper that appeal.
Fourth, affordability is constrained by income. The median household income is $63,602, compared with the state average of $80,426. While home values are lower, the income gap means local buyers do not necessarily have an easier time qualifying. Unemployment at 5.2% matches the state, so the labor market is not a clear advantage.
Who Is This Market For
This market is best suited for patient, cash-flow-focused rental investors rather than short-term flippers or move-up buyers who need to sell quickly. The rent index of $1,623 is above the state average of $1,450, while the median home value of $403,913 is below the state average of $502,156. That relationship may support rental income relative to purchase price. However, the 3-month momentum of -0.90%, 84-day median days on market, and 24.0% price-cut share suggest limited short-term appreciation, so investors should be prepared to hold.
First-time buyers with stable employment may find opportunities, because the median home value is below the state average and price cuts are common. But median household income of $63,602 is lower than the state average, which may offset some of that advantage. Buyers who are not in a rush can use the slow market to negotiate.
Move-up buyers may find this market challenging. Selling an existing home could take time, as shown by the 84-day median days on market, and they may need to accept a price cut. The 12/100 PropertyIQ Score also suggests weak home value growth for building equity, making trade-up purchases less attractive in the near term.
Outlook
The data suggests a cautious near-term outlook. The 3-month home value momentum of -0.90% and the 24.0% price-cut share indicate soft seller conditions. With a median days on market of 84 days and 106 homes for sale, inventory is likely to move slowly unless pricing adjusts further. The 12-month momentum of 5.72% shows some longer-window strength, but the -$3 year-over-year change in median home value points to flattening conditions. Rental demand may remain a relative bright spot because the rent index is above the state average, though population growth data is not available to confirm demographic support. Overall, The Dalles is likely to stay buyer-friendly in the near term, with price cuts and extended listing times continuing until inventory and demand rebalance.
AI-generated analysis based on current market data. Last updated August 19, 2026.
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The Dalles, OR market data
The Dalles, OR Housing Market Overview
The Dalles, OR's median home value is $404K, up 5.7% over the past year. Homes here sell in a median 84 days. Its PropertyIQ Score of 12 sits below the state average of 50, marking a market positioned to lag its state over the next three years.
The The Dalles, OR metropolitan area represents a distinct segment of OR's housing landscape. The PropertyIQ Score combines price momentum — how Zillow home values have trended over the past 3 and 12 months — with market-flow signals from Realtor.com that track how fast homes sell and how often sellers cut prices. The result is a single measure of how this market is positioned to outperform or lag its state over the next three years.
Pacific Coast housing markets feature the nation's highest price points alongside strong wage growth from technology, entertainment, and trade sectors. Supply constraints from geographic barriers and regulatory environments create persistent affordability challenges but also strong long-term appreciation potential. Within the Pacific, The Dalles, OR's PropertyIQ Score of 12 runs below the Pacific norm.
The PropertyIQ Score for the The Dalles, OR market is built from four inputs: Zillow home-value momentum over twelve months, Zillow home-value momentum over three months, the median days listings spend on the market (Realtor.com), and the share of listings with a price cut (Realtor.com). The score runs on a 1 to 99 scale computed across all metro markets nationally and calibrated so 50 equals the state average — a score above 50 means this market is positioned to outperform its state, and a score below 50 means it is set to lag. Momentum here has been positive, with home values up 5.7% over the past year.
View The Dalles, OR's complete market profile including historical price trends, score history, and AI-generated analysis. Compare this market against any other US metro to find the best opportunities for your investment strategy.
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Market data through July 2026. Sourced from Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, U.S. Census Bureau, FRED, BLS, and BEA. Per-statistic source and date shown above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Dalles, OR a good place to buy real estate in 2026?
PropertyIQ doesn't label markets simply good or bad. Instead, the PropertyIQ Score measures a market's demand momentum against its own state, where 50 marks the state average. The Dalles, OR currently scores 12, a very weak-momentum reading that leaves it positioned to lag its state over the next three years. For buyers, cooling demand usually brings more inventory, longer sale times, and real leverage to negotiate on price. Backing that up, the median home value here is $404K, up 5.7% over the past year. So whether The Dalles, OR is right for you comes down to your goals: a rising-momentum market can favor long-term appreciation but offers less room to negotiate, while a cooling one hands buyers more leverage. Treat the score as a timing signal to weigh alongside your budget, holding period, and plans for the property, not a verdict on the market's quality.
What is the PropertyIQ Score for The Dalles, OR?
The Dalles, OR's PropertyIQ Score is 12, indicating very weak momentum on a 1-to-99 scale. The score distills four transparent inputs into a single number: Zillow home-value momentum over the past 12 months, Zillow home-value momentum over the past 3 months, the median days homes spend on the market from Realtor.com, and the share of listings with a price cut, also from Realtor.com. Rising values and faster sales push the score up, while slow sales and frequent price cuts pull it down. The scale is calibrated so 50 equals the state average, meaning a score above 50 predicts the market will outperform its state over the next three years and a score below 50 predicts underperformance. PropertyIQ computes the score across every US market nationally, then recenters it against each state, so 12 places The Dalles, OR below its state benchmark.
Are home prices in The Dalles, OR rising or falling?
Home prices in The Dalles, OR are rising. Over the past year, the median home value increased 5.7%, reaching $404K. Over the latest three months, values slipped 0.9%, a sign near-term demand is softening. PropertyIQ derives these figures from Zillow's home-value index, which tracks the typical value across the market rather than only the homes that happened to sell, giving a steadier read than a raw median sale price. Both the 12-month and 3-month momentum readings feed directly into the PropertyIQ Score, so this price trend is one of the core signals behind The Dalles, OR's current score. Keep in mind that appreciation can vary widely by neighborhood and price tier across the metro area, so treat these figures as the market-wide baseline rather than a guarantee for any single property.
How quickly do homes sell in The Dalles, OR?
In The Dalles, OR, homes sell in a median of 84 days from listing to pending sale, based on Realtor.com market data. Median days on market is one of the clearest real-time reads on local demand: when homes move quickly, buyers are competing and sellers hold the advantage, while lengthening timelines signal cooling interest and more room to negotiate. Alongside sale speed, about 24% of active listings here have taken at least one price cut — a complementary demand gauge, since a rising share of reductions often precedes slower sales and softer prices. Both median days on market and the price-cut share feed directly into the PropertyIQ Score, where faster sales and fewer cuts push the score higher. As a general guide, medians under about 30 days indicate a brisk, competitive market, while medians well beyond 60 days point to buyers regaining leverage. Actual time on market still varies by price band, property type, and season, so treat the median as a market-wide baseline.
How current is this metro area data?
This The Dalles, OR market data is refreshed on a monthly cycle, with the latest figures current through July 2026. PropertyIQ ingests fresh data every month from a range of authoritative sources: home values and rents from Zillow, days on market and price-cut activity from Realtor.com, additional housing signals from Redfin, demographic and housing-stock data from the U.S. Census Bureau, mortgage and macroeconomic series from FRED, and employment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The PropertyIQ Score itself is recomputed every month once the new source data lands, so the score and its four underlying inputs always reflect the most recent complete reporting period rather than a static snapshot. Because official housing data is typically released with a short lag, the current-through date usually trails the present by a few weeks, which is normal across the industry and not a sign the data is out of date.