Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

One part of North Portland / St. Johns is still moving fast

By Tony Apa

Real estate, North Portland / St. Johns

Realtor.com counted 31.3% of Portland metro listings with price cuts in September 2026. That number shapes how buyers and sellers think about the whole city. But the Real Estate Data Aggregator tells a more specific story for North Portland / St. Johns in the three months ending August 31, 2026. One ZIP code is still moving fast. Another has 11.1 months of supply. Your street may read very differently from the area average.

97217: The part that's still competing

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 159 homes sold in 97217 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That's up 8.9% from the same months in 2025. The median sale price came in at $555,000, up 3.3% year over year. Prices here didn't dip. They grew.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 44.7% of homes in 97217 sold above list price. That's nearly 1 in 2. It's also up 13.2 points from the same period a year ago. And 46.1% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. If you're buying here, you need an offer strategy that accounts for competition. If you're selling, pricing at market still works.

97203: Steady, but prices slipped

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 121 homes sold in 97203 in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 15.2% from 2025. Sales volume is actually stronger here than a year ago. But the median sale price fell to $447,500, down 6.8% year over year. Not every home sold fast either. The median was 20 days on market.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows 97203 averaging 100.1% of list price on sales. Homes are selling at list, not well above it. The share going above list dropped 1.3 points from 2025. Still, 41.9% of homes went under contract within two weeks. There's demand here. Pricing just needs to be sharper.

97231: A slower, smaller market

97231 is the smallest of the three ZIP codes. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted only 13 homes sold in the three months ending August 31, 2026, down 18.8% from 2025. The median sale price was $550,000, but it fell 26.6% year over year. With only 13 sales, one or two outliers can move that number a lot. Take the year-over-year drop with that in mind.

At 11.1 months of supply, 97231 has more than three times the inventory of 97217. Buyers here have more room to negotiate. Sellers need to price carefully and expect a longer wait. The median days on market was 34, compared to 14 in 97217.

How the three ZIP codes compare

What the wider market adds

Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates topped 7% in September 2026. That's a real headwind for buyers across the board. CNBC reported the average contract rate on a 30-year fixed loan at 7.37% as of late October 2026. Higher rates push more sellers to cut prices. Realtor.com counted 31.3% of Portland metro listings with price cuts in September 2026. That pressure is real in parts of North Portland. But 97217's numbers show it hasn't hit every street the same way.

North Portland / St. Johns overall

Across all three ZIP codes together, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 293 homes sold in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That's up 9.7% from the same months in 2025. Pending sales across the area reached 301, up 3.8% year over year. The market is moving. It's just moving at different speeds depending on where you are.

These are ZIP code averages from the Real Estate Data Aggregator for the three months ending August 31, 2026. One street inside any of these ZIPs can read very differently. If your home is in North Portland / St. Johns, the right price and the right strategy depend on exactly where you are. Reply and I'll take a closer look with you.