August 2026 Market Update — Sidney / Richland County, Montana
Fewer Sales, Higher Prices Per Transaction — What August's Numbers Actually Mean.
August in Eastern Montana has its own rhythm. Harvest season shifts attention, summer momentum begins to ease, and the market transitions into its fall pattern. This year, August followed that seasonal script — and the numbers, read carefully, tell a story that is more nuanced than a simple transaction count comparison would suggest. Let me walk you through what I'm seeing.
The August Numbers
In August 2026, seven homes sold in Richland County with a total sales volume of $2,132,000. The average sale price came in at $304,571 and the median sale price at $309,000.
Compare that to August 2025: eleven homes sold at a total volume of $1,940,500 and an average sale price of $215,000. Transaction count is down four sales from last year — but here is the number that reframes the entire comparison. August 2026 generated $191,500 more in total volume than August 2025, on four fewer sales. Average price per transaction is up more than $89,000 year over year. This market is not selling less — it is selling at significantly higher price points.
Month over month, the seasonal pattern is exactly what I'd expect. July was the strongest month of 2026 with nine sales and $3,823,000 in volume. August's seven sales at $2,132,000 reflects the natural post-peak transition, not a market problem. Looking at the full 2026 arc — five sales in March, building through spring and summer to nine in July, then settling at seven in August — this is a market behaving exactly as a healthy small-market should across the calendar year.
Context and Interpretation
Here's what it looks like is happening: sales volume dropped significantly from July and transaction count is down from last August.
Here's what's actually happening: the homes that sold in August 2026 sold at meaningfully higher prices than August 2025. Eleven lower-priced transactions last year versus seven higher-priced transactions this year produced more total dollars changing hands in 2026 despite fewer closings. That is not a market in decline — that is a market where the price floor has risen.
The median sale price of $309,000 is particularly telling. It sits above the average of $304,571, which means the distribution of sales was relatively balanced — no single outlier is dramatically skewing the picture in either direction. When the median and average are this close together, the data is giving you a clean, reliable read on where the market actually transacted.
Looking at the 2026 median prices across the months we've tracked — $370,000 in March, $203,000 in April, $261,000 in May, $350,000 in June, $347,000 in July, and $309,000 in August — the market has been operating consistently in the $300,000 range for most of the year, with April's lower median reflecting an entry-level heavy transaction mix. August fits squarely within that pattern.
The Bigger Market Picture
At the end of August, Richland County had 29 total listings — 17 active and 12 under contract. Of those 29 listings, 12 are currently pending. Ten new listings entered the market this month, which tells me sellers continue to have confidence in bringing homes to market even as the seasonal pace moderates.
The 30-year mortgage rate ticked up slightly to approximately 6.70% in August. That modest increase hasn't historically been enough to move qualified buyers off the sidelines in this market — the buyers who are active right now are driven by genuine need and life decisions, not rate optimization. What rate movement does affect is the entry-level buyer pool, where affordability math is tighter. Sellers in the mid-to-upper range are less exposed to rate sensitivity than those priced under $200,000.
The pipeline of 12 pending transactions heading into September is healthy. That represents real closings in progress — buyers and sellers who have already found agreement and are moving toward the finish line. For context, that pending count is higher than what we saw at the end of March, April, or May, which speaks to sustained buyer engagement even as the peak summer window closes.
What This Means If You're Thinking of Selling
August's year-over-year comparison contains an important message for sellers: the price point at which homes are transacting in Richland County has risen meaningfully from 2025. An $89,000 increase in average sale price year over year — even with fewer transactions — is not a number to dismiss.
For sellers who have been hesitant because they've heard that the market is "slowing down," I'd offer this reframe. Seasonal moderation is not market weakness. Seven sales in August at an average of over $300,000 is a fundamentally different market than eleven sales at $215,000. The question for sellers isn't how many homes sold — it's what price those homes commanded. August 2026 answers that question clearly.
Pricing strategy remains the central variable in your control. The median and average being within $5,000 of each other this month tells me the market is pricing efficiently — homes are finding buyers at realistic values without dramatic discounting or outlier-driven distortion. That is the environment where well-priced homes move.
If you are considering listing this fall, September and early October still represent an active window before the market quiets significantly heading into winter. The pending count of 12 confirms buyers are still engaged. The inventory of 17 active listings gives you a manageable competitive landscape.
What's Coming
September marks the beginning of the fall market in Richland County. Harvest activity peaks, daylight shortens, and the pool of active buyers narrows to those with genuine urgency — relocation buyers, life transition sellers, and investors moving before year-end. That narrower pool is not a negative for well-positioned sellers. Motivated buyers in a thinner market often move with less hesitation than spring buyers who feel they have unlimited options.
October is typically the last reliable month to close before winter slows activity significantly. If listing this fall is on your radar, the window to enter the market with sufficient time to close before year-end is the next four to six weeks.
Ready to Talk?
August confirmed what the full 2026 data has been building toward — this market is trading at higher price points than a year ago. If you want to understand what that means specifically for your property, I'd welcome that conversation.
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Stasia Creek | Broker/Owner | 406 East Realty | Sidney, Montana | (406) 478-8020