Preparation Still Wins.
It Just Requires Discipline.
43 homes actively listed, 49 that didn't sell, and a $525K gap between asking and selling prices. But correctly prepared homes are still closing strong โ and faster than ever. Here's what separates them.
Correctly Priced Homes Close Strong.
The market isn't broken. It's just become more honest. Right now on this hill, 43 homes are actively listed and 23 have closed YTD. But here's the real story: of the 49 listing attempts that didn't close the first time, 33 were pulled, repriced, and relisted โ they're now part of those 43 active homes. Only 15 truly came off market or went into rentals.
Here's what that means: homes that price to actual market conditions close fast and clean the first time. Homes that price ahead of reality? They get pulled, repriced, and relisted. Sometimes they close on the second attempt. Sometimes they sit longer. The difference isn't luck. It's the opening move.
The $525K gap between what active listings are asking ($4.85M median) and what homes are actually selling for ($4.32M median) isn't a market problem โ it's your roadmap. Get it right on day one, you close in 14โ30 days. Miss it, you're in the relistings, competing with newer inventory and compressing your margin. The cost of the wrong opening price isn't a small discount โ it's time, certainty, and sometimes six figures.
I work through a framework I call the 5P System โ and right now, in this market, every single one matters:
| The 5P Framework | What It Means | Why It Matters Now |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Property condition, systems, cosmetics, permits current | With 43 homes to choose from, buyers will walk on maintenance issues. Fix first, list second. |
| Presentation | How the home shows โ photos, staging, the first 30 seconds | Correctly presented homes photograph stronger, draw more showings, close faster. Presentation alone can add weeks or subtract weeks from DOM. |
| Promotion | Strategic visibility โ MLS, off-market network, broker reach | 43 homes on the market. You're competing for attention. Promotion strategy decides if you're one of 5 showings or 15 showings per weekend. |
| Pricing | Opening price benchmarked to actual sold data, not wishes | The $525K gap proves this: homes that open at market price go pending in 14 days. Homes that open high sit 90โ120 days before correction. Pricing on day one is everything. |
| Partnership | Working with a broker who knows your neighborhood, your comps, your strategy | The difference between closing in 14 days and 120 days often comes down to who's advising you. Data-driven partnership matters. |
This market rewards discipline in all five. Skip one โ skip preparation, phone in the presentation, underestimate promotion, lean on hope instead of pricing data, or work with a broker who doesn't specialize in your neighborhood โ and you've just added 60 days and discounted your price by $100โ200K to make up for it. Do all five right, and you're in the 43% that close in 14 days.
Mid-Year 2026 vs. Mid-Year 2025
Full comparison across every MLS sale in the Clyde Hill core โ Clyde Hill proper plus the adjoining West Bellevue, Vuecrest, and Meydenbauer pockets โ January 1 through July 20, each year.
| Metric | 2025 YTD | 2026 YTD | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLS closed sales | 39 | 23 | โ41% |
| Off-market sales | 10 | 9 | Steady |
| Median sold price | $4,375,000 | $4,320,000 | โ1.3% |
| Average sold price | $4,507,799 | $5,071,826 | +12.5% |
| Average price per sq ft | $1,211 | $1,074 | โ11.3% |
| Average home size sold | 3,856 sq ft | 4,710 sq ft | +22% |
| Median days on market | 12 | 19 | +7 days |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 99.0% | 95.6% | โ3.4 pts |
| Cancelled listings | 23 | 41 | +78% |
| Expired listings | 8 | 8 | Flat |
| Sales of $5M or more | 11 | 11 | Holding |
What happened to the 49 that didn't close on the first listing? They tell a story about discipline. Of those 49 listing attempts: 33 were pulled, repriced, and relisted (now part of the 43 currently active); 1 eventually sold after relisting; 15 went off-market or into rentals. The 33 relisting attempts are second chances โ homes whose sellers understood the market feedback and came back with a better strategy. Some will close on the second attempt. Some will learn again that day-one pricing is everything.
A word on that average price jump. The 12.5% rise in average sold price is not appreciation โ it's mix. The average home sold this year is 22% larger than last year's, because larger, newer homes are what's trading. On a per-square-foot basis, values actually eased about 11%. Medians flat, averages up, per-foot down: that's the signature of a market where the product mix shifted upmarket while underlying values softened modestly. Anyone telling you Clyde Hill values are "up double digits" is reading the wrong line of the spreadsheet.
Inventory by Price Tier
The 43 active homes now include roughly two-thirds that are relisting attempts. The pipeline isn't uniformly congested โ it's concentrated in the upper-market segment where pricing discipline matters most. This reveals where the second-attempt sellers need the tightest strategy.
| Price Tier | Sold YTD | Active Now | Inventory Ratio | Implication |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $2M | โ | 4 | Limited supply | Entry tier holding firm; no excess inventory |
| $2โ3M | 4 | 3 | 0.8ร | Slight undersupply; likely to hold price |
| $3โ5M (Core Market) | 10 | 17 | 1.7ร | Overinventoried; price pressure emerging |
| $5M+ (Trophy Segment) | 9 | 19 | 2.1ร | Severely glutted; expect deepest discounts here |
The $5M+ segment is in trouble. With 19 active listings against 9 MLS sales year-to-date, sellers in this tier are going to see longer hold times and deeper discounts. The failed listings in this range (9 above $5M, with an average days-on-market of 300+ before cancellation) are early signals: if you list a $7M+ home on this hill and it sits for 6โ10 months, the market is telling you the price is wrong, not that the product is.
The $3โ5M tier is next. This is the "core market" โ the bread-and-butter neighborhood value โ and it has 17 homes actively competing for the same buyer pool that closed just 10 homes YTD. Multiple-offer situations are rare in this tier now. Pricing discipline is essential.
Inside the City Limits
Strip out the surrounding pockets and look only at homes within the Clyde Hill community itself, and the same pattern sharpens. Seventeen homes closed on the MLS this year at a median of $4.53M, up from $4.28M โ again mix-driven, with the average home sold jumping from roughly 3,900 to nearly 5,000 square feet. Median days on market stretched from 9 to 26. The sale-to-list ratio fell from just over 100% โ remember when overbids were normal? โ to 94.5%.
But the top of the hill is doing what the top of the hill does. Six sales at $6.5M or above so far this year, including $13.5M on NE 14th Street โ one of the largest MLS sales in city history โ plus $8.65M on 88th Ave NE and a $7.8M same-day sale on 92nd Ave NE that never truly hit the open market. Add the $15.5M off-market sale on Yarrow Point next door, and the message from the trophy tier is unambiguous: serious capital is still choosing the Points communities, and it's paying serious prices for the right property.
"23 homes closed on the first listing. 33 had to come back and try again. The difference wasn't the market โ it was the opening price. Get it right day one, and you're done. Miss it, and you're competing with newer inventory six months later."
The 23 That Closed Strong
- Price right day one. Homes priced to market go pending in 14โ30 days, first listing attempt
- Prepare thoroughly. Homes show-ready close at or above asking; homes with deferred maintenance get passed
- Market advantage. The $2โ3M tier has lowest relisting pressure; correctly prepared homes draw multiple offers
- Off-market strategy. 28% of closings never hit the MLS โ discretion + right pricing = speed
The 33 That Had To Try Again
- Opening price wrong. The $525K gap proves overpriced debuts sit 60โ120 days before repricing
- Preparation gaps. Maintenance issues discovered during showings; sellers correct between attempts
- Market feedback ignored. 33 homes came back; some will close on round two, some will cycle again
- Relisting cost real. Every relist means competing with newer inventory; timing and momentum shift against you
Look at the two deepest discounts of the year: a home on 91st Ave NE that opened at $8.9M and closed at $6.6M, and the NE 14th Street estate that listed at $17M and closed at $13.5M. Both eventually sold โ but each left seven figures and six months on the table because the opening number was wrong. Meanwhile, correctly priced homes two blocks away drew full-price offers in their first weekend. Same hill. Same buyers. Different preparation.
Clyde Hill News
Levy Lid Lift Headed to Voters This Fall
The City has announced that a property tax levy lid lift measure is moving toward the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. The resident-led Financial Sustainability Task Force, formed in late 2024, found a structural imbalance between city revenues and expenses โ and warned that without action, Clyde Hill could exhaust its operating funds by the end of 2030. Police and fire services account for more than half the city's $6.7M annual budget.
In July, the Council held a special meeting to select a preferred levy option and formed resident pro/con committees for the King County voters' pamphlet. Whatever your view, this is the most consequential local vote in years โ it directly affects every property tax bill on the hill. Watch clydehill.org for the final ballot language.
WSDOT Lid Maintenance Update
The City issued a June update on maintenance of the WSDOT highway lids serving the Points communities โ the landscaped caps over SR-520 that function as neighborhood green space. Upkeep responsibility and funding for the lids remain an active topic between the Points cities and the state.
City Park Pathway & the 20-Year Plan
Clyde Hill is renovating the pathway at City Park to improve safety and accessibility, and continues work on its Comprehensive Plan update โ the document that will guide land use, housing, and parks decisions on the hill for the next twenty years. Both are worth a public comment if you care how the neighborhood evolves.
If You Own Here. If You're Buying Here.
- Preparation: Inspect, repair, update systems before listing. Buyers have 43 homes; deferred maintenance = walk.
- Presentation: Professional photography, strategic staging, curb presence. Homes that show well draw multiple showings; homes that don't become relisting candidates.
- Promotion: Use your broker's network strategically. Off-market, MLS, targeted outreach. 28% of closings never hit a portal โ access matters from day one.
- Pricing: Start at market on day one. The 23 that closed cleanly price to sold comps, not wishes. The 33 that relisted? They're learning that pricing correction takes months and costs weeks.
- Partnership: Work with a broker who knows Clyde Hill, knows your comps, and has the discipline to push back on wishful pricing. The difference between closing once and relistings is that conversation.
- Well-priced homes move fast. If you find one listed at true market (like those that closed in 14 days), you need to move. These don't linger.
- Mispriced homes wait. 49 homes already failed, and another 43 are sitting. Some of those will correct in pricing soon โ that's your window. But by then, others are circling. Speed matters even when inventory seems abundant.
- The $2โ3M tier is your strongest market. Lowest overinventory, most balanced, least negotiation friction. If you're shopping here, focus your energy.
- Do your comp work, not guesswork. Use closed sales, not active listings. The median sold price ($4.32M) is your anchor point, not the asking prices of homes still on the market.
The Difference Is Process.
43% of homes close in two weeks. 49 didn't close at all. The gap isn't luck or market timing โ it's preparation, pricing discipline, and strategy. I'll walk you through your specific situation, show you the actual sold comps, and give you a clear picture of what works on your address right now.
Let's Talk Strategy