Sierra Nevada Realtors released 2026’s first quarter residential real estate market report Monday covering Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Lyon, Storey and Washoe counties (excluding Incline Village). The data is drawn from the Northern Nevada Regional MLS and analyzed through Domus Analytics.

A year ago, Northern Nevada’s real estate market was moving at a sprint, now in Q1 2026, the same six counties had a noticeably different tempo. Some prices eased. Some markets have slowed. And in the same breath: more homes are closing in Churchill County than ever before, Lyon County just posted its best across-the- board improvement in recent memory, and Washoe County quietly surpassed 1,000 closings for the second straight Q1. In Q1 2026, the Northern Nevada market found its pace and pace, it turns out, is exactly what builds something lasting. 

“What the year-over-year data tells us is that this region is maturing in the best possible way,” said Garrett Lepire, 2026 president of Sierra Nevada Realtors. “Prices are more honest. Buyers have more time to make good decisions. And sellers who price right are still walking away with nearly everything they asked for. That’s not a decline — that’s a healthy market doing what a healthy market does.” 

Let’s take a deeper look at the region SNR serves in Northern Nevada. Sales data excludes manufactured, modular or newly constructed homes unless otherwise noted.

Numbers compare data from Q1 of 2025 to Q1 of 2026, with Q1 2026 figures on the right side.

CARSON CITY 

  • Median Sales Price: $547K → $535K 
  • Closed Sales: 123 → 103
  • Median Days to Contract: 17 → 30
  • Listing Price Received: 97.7%→ 98.8% 

Carson City slowed down and somehow got better at the same time. Days to contract nearly doubled year-over-year, from 17 to 30 days, and closed sales fell 16%. But here’s the twist: sellers captured 98.8% of asking price in Q1 2026, up from 97.7% a year ago. The frenzy of 2025 has given way to a market where buyers can think and sellers who price correctly still win. 

CHURCHILL COUNTY 

  • Median Sales Price: $395K → $397K 
  • Closed Sales: 53 → 67 
  • Median Days to Contract: 23 → 28
  • Listing Price Received 98.8% → 99.3% 

Churchill County posted the most encouraging year-over-year volume story in the region: closed sales surged 26% while prices held nearly flat. That combination is what inclusive market growth looks like. Sellers are now capturing 99.3% of asking price, the highest ratio in all six counties. New listings fell 19% year-over-year, which tells us the demand is clearly here, the supply just needs to catch up. 

DOUGLAS COUNTY 

  • Median Sales Price: $689K → $645K 
  • Closed Sales: 144 → 179 
  • Median Days to Contract: 42 → 36 
  • Median $/SqFt: $362 → $362 

Douglas County’s headline number,  a 6.4% drop in median price, tells only half the story. Closed sales jumped 24%, homes sold six days faster, and the median price per square foot landed at exactly $362, not a penny different from Q1 2025. More buyers, at slightly more accessible price points, chose the Carson Valley this year. 

LYON COUNTY 

  • Median Sales Price $402K → $410K 
  • Closed Sales: 246 → 250 
  • Median Days to Contract: 35 → 25 
  • Listing Price Received: 98.3% → 99.1% 

Every meaningful metric improved simultaneously in Lyon County last quarter —price up, sales up, days to contract down a remarkable 28%, list price received up, price per square foot up, new listings up. That kind of across-the-board consistency doesn’t happen by accident. It happens in markets where the value proposition is airtight and the community delivers on its promise, quarter after quarter. 

STOREY COUNTY 

  • Median Sales Price: $712K → $615K 
  • Closed Sales: 13 → 13 
  • Median Days to Contract: 33 → 59
  • Median $/SqFt: $274 → $305 

Storey County’s 13.6% median price drop will raise eyebrows and deserves an honest explanation. With only 13 sales in each quarter, a single transaction can move the needle by six figures. The more meaningful signal is the median price per square foot, which rose 11.3%, from $274 to $305. Days to contract lengthened to 59 days, the longest in the region, but this has always been a market that requires the right buyer. And when that buyer finds Virginia City, they tend to stay forever. 

WASHOE COUNTY 

  • Median Sales Price: $570K → $580K 
  • Closed Sales: 1,010 → 1,039 
  • Median Days to Contract: 21 → 22
  • Listing Price Received: 98.5% → 98.9% 

Washoe County crossed 1,000 closed sales in Q1 for the second straight year. The median sales price rose 1.7% to just under $580,000. Days to contract held at 22. List price received ticked up. Every metric moved in the right direction by a small, steady, durable amount. This is what the engine of Northern Nevada’s real estate market looks like when it’s running well. 

Northern Nevada isn’t just a real estate market. It’s a place people choose on purpose, and Q1 2026 proves they’re still choosing it. 

Buyers and sellers can access SNR’s Homebuyer and Home Seller Guides, available in English and Spanish, for valuable market education. These guides are for informational purposes only and do not intend to alter any existing NAR policy. 

Visit https://snr.realtor to connect with a realtor and begin your home journey.