With the coming of spring, the housing market tends to bloom as well. Many buyers and sellers see the advent of the new season as the perfect opportunity to find a new place to call home.
The housing market in the Dubuque area is “very stable,” according to Steve Davis, East Central Iowa Association of Realtors president and Equity Real Estate Group co-owner and managing broker. “Home values have steadily climbed since the Great Financial Crisis.”
Davis believes the market for home sales in Dubuque is very balanced, meaning there is an even distribution between buyers and sellers. “I think a balanced market is a very good thing,” said Davis. “A balanced market is a fair market for both buyers and sellers. It allows new homeowners to find their home. It allows people to upgrade when they want. It allows more movement within the market, and people don’t feel stuck. So, they have the opportunity to buy if they want to and to sell if they want to without the challenges of a lopsided market.”
In recent years, the excess of buyers over sellers saw bidding wars with multiple offers on a single property. Now, Davis reports, there is an average of about 28 days on the market.
Post-COVID, Davis has seen increases in values over and above inflation in many cases. In 2025, there was a 9 percent increase over median sale price compared to 2024. “We’re not seeing the decreases in home values that many people expected; rather, modest increases are forecasted going forward throughout 2026,” he said.
Most of the housing volume comes in the $200,000 to $300,000 range; however, the activity in the $300,000 to $450,000 range is increasing, largely because of the home value increases and new construction.
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