Washington foreclosures and housing market
How foreclosure works in Washington, which counties lean to buyers or sellers, and how many homes are for sale right now.
How's the market in Washington?
A balanced market.
Listings spent about 65 days on the market, and 23% had a price cut in October 2026.
Market figures: Realtor.com® Economic Research, October 2026. Free weekly email. Unsubscribe anytime.
Distressed properties in Washington
Pre-foreclosures, auctions, bank-owned and HUD homes from county notices, with the street area instead of the house number.
Representative photoWe are not tracking properties in Washington yet
Our property list covers a handful of counties so far. Leave your email for the free weekly brief, and we will note that you want property alerts for Washington.
The closest place we track is Nevada, with 9 properties.
The Washington market in October 2026
Our score compares how many listings went under contract with how many were for sale, ranked against every US county. Low scores lean to buyers, high scores to sellers.
Washington market score
- Homes for sale
- 28,596
- US: 1,179,101
- Typical days on market
- 65
- US: 66
- Listings with a price cut
- 23%
- US: 21%
- Homes for sale vs pre-pandemic
- +45%
- US: −7%
- October 2026 vs the October average for 2017 to 2019.
Market score by county
Check any countyGray counties had too few listings to score. Tap a county for its full answer.
Most buyer-friendly counties
Lowest scores among counties with 50+ homes for sale.
- 8Kittitas County95 days on market · 17% with a price cut · 486 for sale
- 11Lincoln County108 days on market · 18% with a price cut · 112 for sale
- 11Ferry County122 days on market · 14% with a price cut · 71 for sale
- 12San Juan County121 days on market · 12% with a price cut · 197 for sale
- 13Whitman County74 days on market · 17% with a price cut · 152 for sale
Most seller-friendly counties
Highest scores among counties with 50+ homes for sale.
- 82Kitsap County53 days on market · 23% with a price cut · 795 for sale
- 67Clark County71 days on market · 31% with a price cut · 1,952 for sale
- 66Pierce County64 days on market · 30% with a price cut · 2,879 for sale
- 62Cowlitz County72 days on market · 25% with a price cut · 418 for sale
- 61Clallam County78 days on market · 19% with a price cut · 339 for sale
Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research, October 2026 county data. County days on market are medians. State and US figures weight each county by its homes for sale. Price-cut share is the share of listings with a price reduction.
How foreclosure works in Washington
Most Washington foreclosures are non-judicial trustee sales.
- Main steps and notices
- The lender sends a pre-foreclosure letter. The borrower has 30 days to respond, which adds 60 days before a notice of default.
- The notice of default comes at least 30 days before the notice of sale. Borrowers can request mediation through a counselor or lawyer.
- The notice of sale is recorded at least 90 days before the sale, and at least 190 days must pass between default and sale.
- The buyer gets possession on the 20th day after the sale.
- Catching up before the sale
- The borrower can cure up to 11 days before the sale.
- After the sale
- There is no right to redeem after the sale.
- Before any of this starts
- Under federal rules, a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days behind.
- Governing law
- Revised Code of Washington § 61.24.005 et seq.
Sources
- Justia, Foreclosure laws and procedures: 50-state survey (last reviewed November 2022)
- Nolo, Foreclosure redemption period rights (state chart)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, How to avoid foreclosure
General information, not legal advice.
Laws change and each case differs. Anyone facing foreclosure should talk with a local attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor.
Go deeper
- Check any county's marketPick a county in Washington and see whether it leans to buyers or sellers.
- Read the buying guidesHow to buy pre-foreclosures, auction homes, bank-owned homes, HUD homes and short sales.
- Help if you're behind on your mortgageWhere you are in the process, your options, free counselors and scam warnings.
Washington questions
Is foreclosure in Washington judicial or non-judicial?
Most Washington foreclosures are non-judicial trustee sales.
Can a homeowner get the home back after a foreclosure sale in Washington?
There is no right to redeem after the sale.
Can a borrower in Washington catch up on the loan before the sale?
The borrower can cure up to 11 days before the sale.
Is Washington a buyer's or seller's market right now?
A balanced market. Washington scores 47 out of 100 on our market scale, where low scores lean to buyers. Listings spent about 65 days on the market, and 23% had a price cut in October 2026. Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research.
How far behind does a borrower have to be before foreclosure starts?
Under federal rules, a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days behind. Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.