Welcome to the Home + Sea Blog: What Years of MLS Data Taught Us About Manzanita and Neahkahnie Real Estate
Welcome to the Home + Sea Blog
I am glad you are here.
This blog is a place for us to share what we have learned from years of working in the Manzanita, Neahkahnie, and North Oregon Coast real estate markets. It is also a place to keep a record of the data, patterns, property stories, market reports, and local perspective that shape how we advise our clients.
For years, Corey and I have written annual real estate newsletters for Manzanita and Neahkahnie property owners. Those newsletters were never meant to be generic marketing pieces. They were built around MLS-sourced data, our own analysis, and the practical lessons we were learning from representing buyers and sellers in a very specific coastal market.
The purpose has always been simple: help property owners make better decisions.
Manzanita and Neahkahnie are not large, anonymous markets. They are small, nuanced, deeply local communities where a few listings, a few sales, or a shift in timing can change the way the market feels. That is why data matters here. But data by itself is not enough. It needs to be paired with local experience, careful interpretation, and a real understanding of how people buy and sell homes on the coast.
This blog is a continuation of that work.
Why We Have Always Used MLS-Sourced Data
When Corey and I first began sending local market reports, we made a point of explaining where the numbers came from. In our 2018 Spring Newsletter, we wrote that the numbers and graphs we provided came directly from the MLS system, while the analysis was our own.
That distinction still matters to me.
The MLS gives us the framework. It tells us what listed, what sold, how long it took, what prices were achieved, and how those results compared to prior periods. Our job is to look at that information carefully and ask what it means for real people making real decisions.
Should a seller wait until summer?
Is inventory actually low, or does it just feel low?
Are buyers paying attention in the winter?
Are homes being priced correctly?
Are days on market telling us something important?
Is the market rewarding preparation, timing, and presentation?
Those are the kinds of questions we have asked year after year.
We Learned Early That Coastal Real Estate Does Not Always Follow Conventional Wisdom
One of the first lessons we wrote about was seasonality.
For a long time, many people assumed that the best time to sell a home on the coast was during the busy visitor season. The thinking was understandable: more people in town must mean more buyers. But the data did not always support that assumption.
In our 2018 report, we noted that buyers had been shopping for summer homes and coastal properties “with their rain gear on.” We also pointed out that the three-month sales volume during November, December, and January was $13.8 million, outperforming the July, August, and September period at $12.14 million. Our takeaway then was one we still believe now: crowds are not the same thing as sales volume.
That kind of insight is one of the reasons local experience matters.
A good coastal real estate strategy should not be based only on assumptions. It should be based on what is actually happening in the market.
Our Early Market Share in Manzanita and Neahkahnie
By 2018, we had already been working out of the Manzanita office for several years, specializing in Manzanita and Neahkahnie properties. In that newsletter, we reported that our personal sales volume was more than 50% of all area land sales made in 2017 and 24% of all Manzanita / Neahkahnie sales volume.
On the second page of that report, we described ourselves as the top brokers for the prior three years and explained that our approach was shaped by business experience, marketing, sales, and a deep connection to the North Coast.
Looking back, that was an important period for us. We were not trying to be the loudest voice in the room. We were trying to pay attention, do the work, market properties properly, and earn our clients’ trust one transaction at a time.
That is still how I think about this business.
2018: A Strong Market and a Clearer Pattern
Our February 2019 Manzanita Real Estate Report looked back at 2018 and showed how much the market had changed.
The total combined volume of single-family residential and residential land sold in Manzanita / Neahkahnie in 2018 was $41.1 million. Our personal sales volume represented 39.92% of that total. That same report stated that we were number one for the fifth year in a row in sales volume and market share.
That was a meaningful milestone, but it was not just about volume.
The 2019 report also showed how important timing and pricing had become. Inventory in Manzanita / Neahkahnie ranged between 25 and 48 units during 2018, and the market was described as a sustained seller’s market for the first time since the recession. At the same time, we saw sellers push too aggressively on price, especially during the spring and summer.
That is one of the things I love about market data. It keeps us honest.
A strong market does not mean every price works. A seller’s market does not mean preparation stops mattering. And a beautiful coastal property still needs the right strategy.
Pricing Strategy Matters
In the same 2019 report, we noted that the median list price in 2018 was $499,000, up 6.85% from 2017 after a gain of more than 9% the prior year. But the median sales price was up only 1.84% over 2017. To us, that gap said something important: many sellers had overpriced their homes.
That is why a thoughtful comparative market analysis matters so much.
A CMA is not just a formality. It is one of the most important tools a seller has. Done well, it should account for condition, location, timing, competition, buyer behavior, recent comparable sales, and the current pace of the market.
Our goal has never been to tell a seller only what they want to hear. Our goal is to help them make the best possible decision.
Marketing Has Always Been Part of the Strategy
Corey and I have always believed that property marketing matters deeply, especially here.
A Manzanita or Neahkahnie property is not just a bedroom count and square footage number. It may have a view corridor, a specific relationship to the beach, a tucked-away setting, a story, a remodel, a rental history, a legacy ownership pattern, or a particular kind of light that only makes sense when you see it.
That is why we invested so heavily in media from the beginning.
In our 2019 report, we wrote that all of our listings received aerial, interior, and exterior video and photography, along with YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter marketing, strong Google placement on our web pages, and custom websites for every residential listing. We also made clear that these services were not an extra fee; they were simply what we believed it took to meet our standard of success.
That philosophy eventually became central to Home + Sea Realty.
We market carefully because we believe our clients deserve it.
2019 in Manzanita: A Stronger, Faster Market
Our 2020 Manzanita Real Estate Report looked back at 2019 and showed a strong year for Manzanita single-family homes.
Sales were up 5.88%, with 72 homes sold compared to 68 in 2018. The median list price was up 5.78%, the median sales price was up 6.11%, and total listed volume was up 12.83%. We also noted a standout beachfront home closing at $1.8 million, which was a new Manzanita record at the time.
The days-on-market numbers were also important. Median days on market dropped to 106 days, down 10.17%, and average days on market dropped from 164 to 138 days, down 15.85%.
To us, those numbers showed a market with real demand, especially for homes within easy walking distance to downtown and single-level living.
Again, the lesson was not just that the market was strong. The lesson was that the details mattered.
Location mattered.
Pricing mattered.
Condition mattered.
Marketing mattered.
The way a home entered the market mattered.
Number One in Manzanita for the Sixth Year in a Row
In the 2020 Manzanita report, we wrote that we were number one for the sixth year in a row in Manzanita sales volume and market share.
I am proud of that.
But I am also grateful for it.
Market share is not something a broker earns alone. It comes from clients who trust you, people who refer you, community members who believe in your work, and a lot of careful effort behind the scenes. Every listing, every showing, every negotiation, every video, every photo, every conversation, and every late-night strategy discussion matters.
That is the work people do not always see.
2019 in Neahkahnie: A Very Different Micro-Market
Neahkahnie has always deserved its own attention.
It is close to Manzanita, but it is not the same market. Neahkahnie has its own rhythm, its own property types, its own view considerations, and a very limited number of sales in many years.
That is why, in 2020, we broke Neahkahnie out from Manzanita in its own report. We wanted to give Neahkahnie property owners a clearer view of their market specifically.
The 2020 Neahkahnie report showed that single-family residential sales were up 88.89%, with 17 homes sold compared to 9 in 2018. The report also showed that listed volume was up 45.51%, and we noted a standout sale: a home we listed at $1.25 million that closed at $1.42 million.
Sales volume in Neahkahnie increased 51.14% year over year to nearly $10.5 million, and we wrote that total listing and sales activity was higher than any of our records showed dating back 20 years.
That is the kind of market where experience really matters. When activity changes quickly in a small area, sellers need a broker who understands not only the data, but the neighborhood-by-neighborhood story behind it.
What Neahkahnie Taught Us About Pricing and Time
The second page of the 2020 Neahkahnie report made a point that is still central to how we advise sellers.
Homes that were priced correctly achieved a much higher percentage of sales price over original list price in a much shorter period of time. Homes that took longer to sell showed a direct correlation with a lower percentage of original list price.
That is true in many markets, but it can be especially important in Neahkahnie.
When there are only a handful of comparable properties, pricing requires judgment. You have to understand what makes a property special, but you also have to understand how buyers will compare it to everything else available. Optimism is not a strategy. Data, preparation, presentation, and negotiation are.
The North Coast Milestone
The 2020 Manzanita and Neahkahnie reports also marked a major moment for us.
That year, the reports stated that Meadow Davis was the number one broker from Astoria through Wheeler in a field of 120 competitors and more than 35 offices. They also stated that we had been number one in Neahkahnie and Manzanita for six years running.
That was a very meaningful achievement for me.
I have always cared deeply about this stretch of coast. Manzanita, Neahkahnie, Cannon Beach, Arch Cape, Wheeler, Nehalem, and the surrounding communities are not just markets to us. They are places where we have relationships, history, responsibility, and a real sense of belonging.
To be recognized through MLS production across the North Coast was an honor. But the bigger reward was knowing that our methods were working for our clients.
From ManzanitaRealEstate.US to Home + Sea Realty
These older newsletters were published before Home + Sea Realty became the brand you know today.
At the time, we were working under the ManzanitaRealEstate.US identity and were affiliated with Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty. But the foundation was already there: local MLS data, careful market analysis, full-service marketing, and a strong commitment to Manzanita and Neahkahnie property owners.
Home + Sea Realty grew from that foundation.
The name changed. The brokerage grew. We opened our locally owned office in Manzanita. But the core of the work did not change.
We still believe in studying the data.
We still believe in marketing every property with care.
We still believe in honest pricing conversations.
We still believe that sellers deserve strategy, not guesswork.
We still believe that local knowledge matters.
Why This History Matters
I think this history matters because it gives context.
When we publish current market reports, sold-property stories, neighborhood guides, or listing features on the Home + Sea blog, we are not starting from scratch. We are continuing a conversation that began many years ago with Manzanita and Neahkahnie property owners.
The older newsletters show that our work has long been rooted in MLS-sourced data, local analysis, and measurable results.
In 2017, we reported more than 50% of area land sales and 24% of Manzanita / Neahkahnie sales volume.
In 2018, we reported 39.92% of total Manzanita / Neahkahnie sold volume and number one market share for the fifth year in a row.
In 2019, our Manzanita report stated that we were number one for the sixth year in a row in Manzanita sales volume and market share, and our Neahkahnie report stated that we were number one for the sixth year in a row in Manzanita / Neahkahnie sales volume.
That is not a one-year story. It is a long-term pattern.
What You Can Expect From This Blog
This blog will continue that same approach.
We will share market reports, neighborhood insight, property stories, sold-property recaps, listing features, seller guidance, buyer guidance, and local perspective from communities across the North Oregon Coast.
That includes Manzanita, Neahkahnie, Cannon Beach, Arch Cape, Nehalem, Wheeler, Rockaway Beach, and the surrounding coastal areas.
Some posts will be data-heavy. Some will be more story-driven. Some will focus on a single property. Others will look at a whole community or market trend.
The common thread will be this: we want the information to be useful.
Useful to sellers.
Useful to buyers.
Useful to our neighbors.
Useful to people trying to understand this coast.
Useful to anyone deciding what comes next for a property they love.
A Local Brokerage Built on Data, Marketing, and Trust
Home + Sea Realty is a locally owned coastal real estate brokerage based in Manzanita, Oregon.
For me, the company is the natural continuation of years of work in this market. It reflects what Corey and I have always believed: that coastal real estate deserves careful attention, thoughtful marketing, and a deep understanding of place.
The old newsletters remind me how much has changed and how much has stayed the same.
Markets change.
Inventory changes.
Buyer behavior changes.
Technology changes.
The way people search for homes changes.
But the fundamentals remain.
Listen carefully.
Study the data.
Price honestly.
Market beautifully.
Negotiate well.
Remember who you work for.
That is the foundation of Home + Sea Realty.
Thinking About Selling in Manzanita or Neahkahnie?
If you own a home in Manzanita or Neahkahnie, I would be honored to help you understand your property’s position in the market.
These are small, nuanced coastal communities. The best result often depends on timing, pricing, preparation, presentation, digital exposure, negotiation, and local knowledge. It also depends on having a broker who understands the difference between a general coastal market and a specific Manzanita or Neahkahnie property.
This blog is one way we will continue sharing what we see.
It is a continuation of the same conversation we began years ago with our newsletters: honest data, local perspective, and a commitment to helping coastal property owners make informed decisions.
Thank you for reading. I am glad you are here.
