The 18 most competitive housing markets in Iowa
Across much of the U.S., people are to buy and sell homes. Homebuyers are scared off by high prices and economic uncertainty, while home sellers are staying put until they can earn more profit from the sale. is adding even more on younger buyers. As such, houses are selling at a slow rate, especially in the Sun Belt鈥攅ven as fall.
That's not the case everywhere, though. In today's market, understanding your local level of competition can help you make smarter decisions. It affects everything from how quickly homes sell to how much negotiating power buyers and sellers have.
Conditions vary widely across Iowa鈥攂ut this list can help. ranked the most competitive cities in Iowa based on their combined months of supply (lower is better), average sale to list ratio (higher is better), and median days on market (lower is better). All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most competitive cities in the country, read this .
#1. Marion, Iowa
- Days on market: 24.1 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.4%
- Months of supply: 2.06 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 24.7%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 47.3%
- See homes for sale in Marion on
#2. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Days on market: 22.56 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.0%
- Months of supply: 1.6 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 29.9%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 50.6%
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#3. Bettendorf, Iowa
- Days on market: 29.6 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.4%
- Months of supply: 2.1 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 33.9%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 42.9%
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#4. Davenport, Iowa
- Days on market: 28.82 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.9%
- Months of supply: 1.93 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 37.6%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 47.5%
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#5. Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Days on market: 29.14 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.1%
- Months of supply: 1.55 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 30.4%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 54.4%
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#6. Des Moines, Iowa
- Days on market: 27.81 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.0%
- Months of supply: 2.55 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 24.9%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 39.6%
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#6. Indianola, Iowa
- Days on market: 26.99 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.2%
- Months of supply: 2.86 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 17.3%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 41.9%
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#6. West Des Moines, Iowa
- Days on market: 31.68 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.7%
- Months of supply: 2.61 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 22.3%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 39.0%
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#9. Ankeny, Iowa
- Days on market: 54.24 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.4%
- Months of supply: 2.98 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 22.8%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 29.7%
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#10. Grimes, Iowa
- Days on market: 42.61 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.0%
- Months of supply: 3.47 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 23.4%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 28.4%
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#11. Altoona, Iowa
- Days on market: 59.32 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.5%
- Months of supply: 3.57 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 26.8%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 25.6%
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#11. Pleasant Hill, Iowa
- Days on market: 56.21 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.8%
- Months of supply: 2.86 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 19.2%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 30.5%
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#11. Urbandale, Iowa
- Days on market: 45.74 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.0%
- Months of supply: 3.31 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 23.6%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 34.7%
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#14. Norwalk, Iowa
- Days on market: 93.55 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.2%
- Months of supply: 3.19 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 24.7%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 24.4%
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#15. Clive, Iowa
- Days on market: 46.17 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.6%
- Months of supply: 3.11 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 18.1%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 32.8%
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#15. Newton, Iowa
- Days on market: 41.66 days
- Sale to list ratio: 96.8%
- Months of supply: 2.86 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 18.4%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 33.5%
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#15. Waukee, Iowa
- Days on market: 112.9 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.6%
- Months of supply: 4.36 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 24.7%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 21.7%
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#18. Johnston, Iowa
- Days on market: 50.59 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.5%
- Months of supply: 3.96 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 19.7%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 33.8%
- See homes for sale in Johnston on