The Iowa housing market, by the numbers.
Median sale price, days on market, and what a traditional sale really costs an Iowa seller — every figure on this page comes from the source cited next to it.
- Median sale price: $259,000
- Median days on market: 37
- Typical selling costs: ~7% of the price
- Foreclosure timeline: 5 to 10 months
Planning an Iowa sale?
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The headline numbers.
Each figure comes from the source cited under it. Medians describe the middle of the Iowa market, not any specific house.
| Iowa metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $259,000 | Redfin state market tracker, May 2026 |
| Median days on market | 37 days | Redfin state market tracker, May 2026 |
| Average agent commission | 5.84% (≈ $15,126) | Clever Feb 2026 survey (state avg) |
| Seller closing costs | 1% (≈ $2,590) | Redfin national 1-3% excl. commission, low end (transfer tax shown separately), May 2026 |
| Seller transfer tax | 0.16% (≈ $414) | HomeLight, Jan 2025 ($0.80/$500, seller pays) |
Data updated: September 2026
Selling the traditional way in Iowa: the math.
The same arithmetic an agent would run at your kitchen table, worked on the Iowa median sale price.
How to read this: on the $259,000 median sale, the traditional route leaves roughly $240,870 before loan payoff, repairs, and the holding costs (effective property tax ~1.57%/yr per the Tax Foundation, plus insurance and utilities) that stack up while you wait about 37 days on market. These are estimates worked on the Iowa median; your actual costs vary by county, property, and buyer.
The cost of waiting: Iowa's effective property-tax rate runs about 1.57% a year (Tax Foundation). Worked on the $259,000 median home, that's roughly $4,066 a year in property tax — call it $412 accrued across the 37-day (about 5-week) median wait for a traditional sale, before insurance and utilities, and on top of the selling costs above. The longer an Iowa listing sits past the median, the bigger that carrying cost grows.
The Iowa foreclosure clock.
Iowa uses a judicial or non-judicial foreclosure process, and a typical case runs 5 to 10 months — that window is how much real time an owner has to catch up, refinance, or sell.
How long it really takes: Practitioner estimate: 30-day cure notice + ~3-6 months filing-to-judgment, then either the 654.21 delay (up to 6 months) and prompt sale, or sale plus up to 1-year redemption — anywhere from ~6 months (without-redemption track) to ~2 years (standard track) start to finish.
Primary statute: Iowa Code ch. 654. This is general information, not legal advice — confirm the specifics with a local attorney.
If you need to sell fast.
The numbers above describe the traditional route in Iowa: roughly 7% of the price in selling costs and about 37 days of waiting before a financed buyer even closes. When time is the real problem — a foreclosure date, back taxes, a move that can't wait — some owners trade part of the headline price for speed and certainty by selling as-is to a cash buyer.
Your cash option: You can request offers on Iowa houses sold as-is — no repairs, no commissions, no fees to you. Requesting offers is free, and you decide what happens next.
See what the Iowa numbers mean for your house.
Compare the traditional math above with a fast as-is sale — free tools, sourced data, and a timeline you control.
Selling fast in Iowa →