Des Moines - IA housing market
The Des Moines metro has a typical home value of $292,513, up 0.5% from a year ago. Homes sell in 32 days on average, a balanced market. 33% of listings have had a price cut. Data from Zillow Research, updated monthly.
Des Moines housing market, October 2026
The typical Des Moines home is worth $292,513 as of September 2026, up 0.1% from the prior month, up 0.0% over three months, and up 0.5% from a year ago. Over the past two years values have ranged from $285,834 to $293,861.
Homes are going pending in about 32 days, slower than the 19 days seen three months earlier. There are roughly 3,928 homes for sale, 10% more than a year ago. 33.3% of listings have taken a price cut (up from 28.9% three months ago).
Typical rent is $1,280 a month, up 2.2% year over year, which puts the price-to-rent ratio at 19.0.
At this week's 7.40% mortgage rate with 20% down ($58,503), the typical Des Moines home costs about $1,986 a month including tax and insurance, which needs a household income of roughly $85,100 to stay under a 28% payment-to-income ratio.
Income needed to buy assumes 20% down, a 30-year fixed mortgage at 7.4% (Freddie Mac weekly average), property tax at 1.1% and insurance at 0.4% of value per year, and a 28% payment-to-income cap. Local taxes and insurance vary; treat it as a comparison figure across metros, not a lender's answer. All metros ranked →
How to read this data
The typical home value ($292,513) is the Zillow Home Value Index for the Des Moines - IA metro area: a smoothed, seasonally adjusted estimate of the typical value for middle-tier homes (33rd to 67th percentile) across single-family and condo properties.
Prices are up 0.5% over the past year. In Des Moines - IA, that means a home worth $291,058 last year is now worth roughly $292,513.
The median sale price, what homes actually close for, is $283,607. Homes are selling at 98.2% of list price, meaning buyers have room to negotiate.
Homes listed in Des Moines - IA sit on the market for roughly 32 days before going pending. Shorter = seller's market; longer = buyer's market.
About 33.3% of current listings have had at least one price cut. High price-cut shares signal sellers are adjusting expectations downward.
Roughly 1,046 new listings hit the market each month in Des Moines - IA. There are currently 3,928 homes for sale, up 9.8% from a year ago.
The typical monthly rent in Des Moines - IA is $1,280, up 2.2% year over year. On the Rent vs Buy Index that is a price-to-rent ratio of 19.0x, toss-up (#59 of 195 metros). The mortgage on a typical home here, 20% down at today's 7.4% 30-year rate, runs about $1,620 a month in principal and interest, $340 more than renting before taxes, insurance and upkeep. The two break even at a 5.17% rate.
What's not on this page
This is market-level data, not property-level. We don't list individual homes for sale. For that, go to Zillow, Redfin, or your local MLS.
Data: Zillow Research (ZHVI and market indicators), refreshed monthly at the source. This page was rebuilt October 2026. Methodology →
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Other metros in IA
| Metro | Home value | 1-yr change | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids - IA | $246,602 | +3.9% | 12.0d |