Even on Seattle’s usually resilient Eastside, homes are harder to sell now!

Seattle’s Eastside, long considered relatively resilient to falling prices, is now also leaving many homeowners preparing to sell in a difficult position.

According to Windermere’s September 2026 market report, the median residential sale price on Seattle’s Eastside in August 2026 was approximately $1.446 million, down 6% year over year. Of the homes sold that month, 48% had reduced their asking price before selling.

Meanwhile, the number of homes for sale increased 46% year over year, giving buyers considerably more choice.

Source: Windermere Capitol Hill, “Local Market Update – September 2026.”

Buyers have more choices and are taking longer to decide. Sellers are finding it harder to sell at the price they had hoped for.

Recently, we have spoken with homeowners in Bellevue, Kirkland, Medina, Mercer Island and Sammamish who are wrestling with the same question:

Sell now, and the price feels disappointing. Wait, and an empty home still costs money.

Even when nobody is living there, mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, utilities and routine maintenance do not stop.

Some homeowners want to wait a few months to see what next spring’s market brings. But if they sign a 12-month lease now, the home may still be under lease when they are ready to list it again, limiting their selling plans.

There is another option for this waiting period:

Furnished mid-term rentals.

Put simply, this means renting a furnished, move-in-ready home to people who need somewhere temporary to live for one month to several months.

Our guests typically stay for 30 days or longer, with stays commonly lasting one to six months. They may be corporate employees coming to work in Seattle or families who have just moved here. They may also need temporary housing because of home repairs, insurance-related displacement, renovations, or the transition between buying and selling a home.

For homeowners, the appeal is the opportunity to use rental income to help cover holding costs while preserving flexibility for later plans.

For example, if you plan to sell next spring, you can arrange rentals around that schedule and leave time for cleaning, maintenance, photography and showings. If you or your family need to return to the home later, you can also reserve those dates in advance.

Of course, flexibility requires advance planning. Confirmed bookings and leases still need to be honored. It is therefore best to consider your expected sale or personal-use dates before you begin renting.

Furnished mid-term rentals are not suitable for every home. Location, condition, furniture, presentation in photographs and nearby demand all affect rental performance. How much of your expenses rent can cover also needs to be assessed against your actual costs.

If you own a home on the Eastside that you are not ready to sell, but do not want to leave empty, you can first explore whether it is suitable for mid-term rentals.

Contact Snowball Rentals to discuss your home and upcoming plans, and explore how these next few months could be arranged more suitably.

This week’s booking highlights

Through long-term relationships with insurance, relocation and technology companies, Snowball Rentals rents homes for mid- and long-term stays at short-term rental rates, then gives owners a 5% management-fee rebate to maximize their returns.

In the second half of 2026, Seattle’s short-term rental market remains subdued. How have your results been?

Short-term rentals in the high season, mid-term rentals in the low season.

Looking back at the large bookings we have received recently, this strategy has delivered some results and helped us maintain confidence even in the cold winter!

The detached home below is in Medina and can be found on Zillow. Its approximate long-term monthly rent is $7,858.
With the owner’s trust and support, we carefully furnished and styled the home, then immediately put it into short-term rental operation. Fortunately, the home’s condition and location were both very good, and short- and mid-term bookings continued to come in.

As shown in the booking screenshot below, the home recently received a large booking:

September 13 to October 13, a total of 30 nights, with an equivalent average monthly rent of $16,000.

Overall, under Snowball Rentals’ operation, this home’s monthly rental income increased from $7,858 to $16,000, more than doubling.

For owners, combining short- and mid-term rentals can bring in more during the high season while providing a steady transition through the low season. Even if low-season rent looks less dramatic, it still outperforms long-term rentals and gives owners a strong sense of financial security.

More importantly, owners do not have to worry about maintenance and cleaning. If communication with guests is needed, we also help coordinate and oversee it.

Once again, we thank the owner for placing their trust in the Snowball Rentals team!

After nearly two years of an Airbnb downturn, we at Snowball Rentals hope to help owners make steady progress during the low season, navigate these challenges safely and lay a better foundation for next year’s high season.

We sincerely thank all our owners again for their trust and support. Whatever the market brings, Snowball Rentals will stand alongside you and find ways to help improve your returns!

Some owners may ask the hard question: Was a large booking like this just good luck? What if the home cannot be rented? Long-term rentals are more stable; earning a little less is at least better than earning nothing!

Our answer: Results depend on the work you put in.

Vacation-rental styling and design

Competition on Airbnb is becoming increasingly intense. The days of piecing together secondhand furniture, taking phone photographs and earning money effortlessly on Airbnb have passed. Airbnb hosting has become more professional.

Here, we introduce another core Snowball Rentals service: vacation-rental styling and design!

Before we took over this detached home, the owner had already furnished it with great care. We did not make major changes; we refined a few details. The final results are shown below:

When choosing a rental on Airbnb, would this home’s appearance catch your eye?