Published October 18, 2026 in Market Update

Ottawa County sales rose even as fewer homes came to market

By Michelle Teitsma

Real estate, Ottawa County

The one fact that changes what you should do right now: more homes sold in Ottawa County even as fewer came to market. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 278 homes sold across ZIPs 49456, 49417 and 49460 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 12.1% from the same months in 2025. At the same time, new listings fell 14.9% to 302. Buyers had less to choose from, yet sales still rose. That tells you demand here is real.

Nationally the picture looks different. Realtor.com reported active listings topped 1.16 million homes for sale across the country in September 2026. Realtor.com also reported that price cuts hit 20.8% of listings that month, the highest share since October 2022. Ottawa County is not following that pattern. Inventory here shrank, not grew.

Rates are part of the backdrop for every buyer right now. Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.40% as of October 15, 2026. The 15-year fixed averaged 6.71% the same week. Fannie Mae, as reported by CNBC on October 14, 2026, forecasts the 30-year rate at 7.5% for all of 2027. Higher rates slow buyers down. That makes the sales gain in Ottawa County more notable, not less.

What each ZIP code showed

Each ZIP moved differently. That matters if you own a home or are shopping for one. Here is what the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted for the three months ending August 31, 2026.

ZIP 49417: the fastest market

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 128 homes sold in ZIP 49417 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 4.9% from a year before. The median sale price came in at $422,700, down 1.5%. Prices dipped a little, but homes are not sitting. The median days on market was just 11 days, 1 day shorter than the same period in 2025. Nearly half of all homes, 46.3%, went under contract within two weeks of listing. New listings fell 19.1%, the steepest drop of any ZIP here.

ZIP 49456: prices up, speed up

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 117 homes sold in ZIP 49456 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 9.3% from a year before. The median sale price rose 7.8% to $485,000. Homes sold in a median of 18 days, 8 days shorter than the same period in 2025. The sale-to-list ratio was 99.3%, up 0.7 points. About 29.1% of homes sold above list price, up 2 points. Just 87 homes were for sale, down 3.3%.

Nearly 3 in 10 homes in 49456 sold above list price. That is not every home, but it is a real share. If you are pricing a home here, that context matters.

ZIP 49460: fewest homes, biggest sales jump

ZIP 49460 is the smallest of the three by volume. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 33 homes sold in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 73.7% from a year before. The median sale price was $600,000, down 6.8%. So more homes sold, but at lower prices on the whole. Homes for sale fell 48.1% to just 14. That is a very thin supply. Months of supply dropped 3.1 months to 1.3 months. Not every home sold fast here: the median days on market was 37 days, 1 day longer than 2025.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. ZIP 49456 beat that with a 7.8% gain. ZIPs 49417 and 49460 saw prices ease. That shows how much one ZIP can differ from a national headline.