Des Moines - IA housing market
The Des Moines metro has a typical home value of $294,192, up 0.6% from a year ago. Homes sell in 27 days on average, a balanced market. 32% 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 $294,192 as of August 2026, up 0.1% from the prior month, down 0.2% over three months, and up 0.6% from a year ago. Over the past two years values have ranged from $287,261 to $295,795.
Homes are going pending in about 27 days, slower than the 20 days seen three months earlier. There are roughly 3,882 homes for sale, 11% more than a year ago. 31.9% of listings have taken a price cut (up from 27.2% three months ago).
Typical rent is $1,297 a month, up 1.9% year over year, which puts the price-to-rent ratio at 18.9.
At this week's 7.40% mortgage rate with 20% down ($58,838), the typical Des Moines home costs about $1,997 a month including tax and insurance, which needs a household income of roughly $85,600 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 ($294,192) 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 0.6% over the past year. In Des Moines - IA, that means a home worth $292,437 last year is now worth roughly $294,192.
The median sale price, what homes actually close for, is $279,788. 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 27 days before going pending. Shorter = seller's market; longer = buyer's market.
About 31.9% of current listings have had at least one price cut. High price-cut shares signal sellers are adjusting expectations downward.
Roughly 1,126 new listings hit the market each month in Des Moines - IA. There are currently 3,882 homes for sale, up 11.2% from a year ago.
The typical monthly rent in Des Moines - IA is $1,297, up 1.9% year over year. On the Rent vs Buy Index that is a price-to-rent ratio of 18.9x, toss-up (#62 of 195 metros). The mortgage on a typical home here, 20% down at today's 7.4% 30-year rate, runs about $1,630 a month in principal and interest, $333 more than renting before taxes, insurance and upkeep. The two break even at a 5.23% 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 →
Protect what you own.
Sponsored links. See our affiliate disclosure.
Other metros in IA
| Metro | Home value | 1-yr change | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids - IA | $245,444 | +3.9% | 9.0d |