North Idaho’s real estate market showed signs of cooling through 2023 as higher mortgage rates slowed transaction volume, but prices remained near the record levels set during the pandemic-era boom.

In Kootenai County, median home prices pulled back modestly from 2022 peaks but remained dramatically higher than pre-2020 levels. Bonner County, anchored by Sandpoint and the Lake Pend Oreille area, continued to command premium prices for lakefront and recreational properties.

The cooling was relative. Compared to the frenzied bidding wars and cash offers that characterized 2021 and early 2022, the market returned to something closer to normal transaction patterns. But the price levels established during the boom showed little sign of reversing.

For prospective buyers, particularly younger families and first-time homeowners, affordability remained a challenge across all five North Idaho counties. Shoshone County’s Silver Valley communities offered the most affordable entry point, with prices well below those in the Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint areas.