Are Ravenna Sellers Chasing a Price Drop That the Per-Foot Figures Contradict? Reading Redfin, Zillow and the Census Renter Base

Why do the Ravenna price figures disagree?

Take the three Ravenna numbers one at a time. The median sale price of $1,058,239 is down 17.3%, which implies about $1,279,612 a year earlier, a fall of $221,373, computed here. The price per square foot of $618 is up 24.9%, which implies about $495 a year earlier. If both were true of the same homes, the median home would have lost 17.3% of its price while gaining 24.9% per foot, which is only possible if the homes that sold this summer were about a third smaller than those a year ago. Houses do not shrink that fast, so a small sample and a shifting mix are the likelier cause.

The sample is small. Redfin counts 41 homes sold in August, so the three-month median rests on perhaps one to two hundred sales, an inference from the monthly count, and one summer with fewer large sales will pull it down. In a market where the median is around $1M, a handful of homes at $2M or more moves the figure by tens of thousands of dollars. The one sale Redfin highlights on the page, of a five-bedroom home of about 3,500 square feet, shows how large the top of the market is, and its price was above $2M.

Zillow's index is built differently. It values the same set of homes month after month, so it is not moved by which homes happen to sell. Its value of $1,070,147, down 0.4%, implies about $1,074,400 a year earlier, a fall of $4,300, computed here. A change of that size is close to flat. The two sources agree on the level, about $1.06M to $1.07M, and disagree on the change, with a big gap of 16.9 points, which is why a seller should trust the level more than the change.

A second contradiction sits in the Realtor.com postal area page. Its sold median of $940,000 is down 19.14% from August, which implies about $1,162,503 a month earlier, and down 12.56% from a year before, which implies about $1,075,023. A median that drops a fifth in one month is a sign of a thin sample or a change in which homes closed, not of a fall in values. Its listing median, $825,000, is down 2.94% in a month, which implies about $849,990 before. The price medians on all three pages are moving mostly because the homes in the mix change from month to month.

The Census puts the owner estimate at $1,094,600, plus or minus $19,667, for the postal area, which is 103.4% of the Redfin median, 102.3% of the Zillow index and 116.4% of the Realtor.com postal area sold median, computed here. Owners' own estimates sit near the pages, a sign that the market has not moved far from where owners think it is.

For a seller, the practical range is about $1.05M to $1.1M for a typical Ravenna home, and the right price depends on the lot, the condition and the street. The best evidence is a closed sale of a comparable home within the last six months, and a seller should discount the headline change of 17.3% in either direction.

Sources as cited. Ratios and year-earlier values in this section are computed from the published figures and percentages.

How competitive is Ravenna, and what do price drops add?

Redfin rates Ravenna as very competitive, with a Compete Score of 87 and a median of 8 days on market, up from 6. Many homes get multiple offers, some with waived contingencies, and the average home sells about 1% above list and goes pending in around 8 days. The hottest homes sell about 2% above list in around 5 days. In a market like that, a first price decides the sale.

The sale-to-list ratio is 101.5%, up 0.007 points, which means the typical home sold about 1.5% above its ask, or about $15,000 on a $1M home, computed here. But 29.9% of homes sold above list, down 8.6 points, which implies about 38.5% a year earlier. Fewer homes are winning bidding contests than a year ago, though nearly three in ten still do.

Price drops are the new signal. Redfin shows 31.4% of listings with price drops, up 6.4 points, which implies about 25.0% a year earlier. A rise from one listing in four to nearly one in three is a sign that some sellers have asked more than buyers will pay. The same page shows prices selling above the ask, so the market is splitting: well-priced homes go fast and over-priced homes take cuts.

The postal area is slower. Realtor.com shows 45 days on market, down 9.68% in a year, which implies about 50 days a year earlier, and 210 active listings, up 29.70% in a year, which implies about 162. Homes sold for 2.45% below the ask, and the market is balanced. The difference with Ravenna's own 8 days is large, and it shows that the postal area includes neighborhoods and building types that sell more slowly.

Compare Ravenna with the nearby areas that Redfin lists on the same page. Redfin shows Queen Anne with a Compete Score of 73 and Ballard with 77, against Ravenna's 87, and in each of those the hottest homes sell around list price, where Ravenna's hottest homes sell about 2% above it. Ravenna is the hotter of the three, on Redfin's measure, so a seller here is in a stronger position than a seller in those areas, at least on the scores the page prints. A strong position is not a guarantee, and the price cuts on 31.4% of listings show that overreach is still punished.

Sale pace matters for planning. A Ravenna home that is priced to the market can go pending within about a week of listing, and then needs a closing period, so a seller's timeline is set by the closing date more than by the sale. A seller who needs a specific date can ask for it in the offer, and a private buyer can agree to one without the competition of an open house.

Sources as cited. Year-earlier values and differences are computed from the published percentages.

Why do renters matter to a Ravenna seller?

The postal area is a renter's market on the Census count. Of 23,843 occupied homes, 9,613 are rented, 40.3%, and 14,230 are owned, 59.7%. Renters turn over fast: of 9,613 renter households, 1,342, or 14.0%, moved in during 2023 or later and 4,021, or 41.8%, between 2020 and 2022, so 5,363, or 55.8%, moved in since 2020. Only 600, 6.2%, have been in place since before 2010.

Rents are high and cost-heavy. The Census median rent is $2,143, which is 16.5% of annual median household income of $156,142. The burden is heavier below the median: of 9,314 renter households with a computed burden, 3,900, or 41.9%, spent 30% or more of income on rent, and 2,019, or 21.7%, spent half or more. Only 2,736, 29.4%, spent less than 20%.

Realtor.com's rent figure for the postal area is $2,422, down 28.34% in a year, which implies about $3,380 a year earlier. That fall is too large to believe on its face, and the page also shows rent up 1.98% in a month, so it is probably a mix effect from a small number of listings. The Census median of $2,143 is the steadier number. A landlord who sees a headline fall in rent should check what comparable units in the same building actually rent for.

Rental supply is modest. Realtor.com shows 134 rental listings, up 11.11%, which implies about 121 a year earlier. Against 9,613 renter households, that is about 1.4% of rented homes listed at once, computed here, which is a low share. Tight supply and high demand mean that rented homes in Ravenna lease fast, which is the reason owners who rent out a house are slow to sell.

Renters live in small homes. Of 9,613 renter households, 2,081, or 21.6%, live in a home with no bedroom, 3,277, or 34.1%, in a one-bedroom, 2,546, or 26.5%, in a two-bedroom and 1,709, or 17.8%, in a home with three or more. For an investor who owns a duplex or a small building, a seller with tenants in place can sell with them or without them, and a direct buyer can take either path.

Income gives a last angle. A median household income of $156,142 against an owner value of $1,094,600 is a ratio of 7.0, computed here, one of the highest of any postal area covered in these briefs. A buyer for a typical house needs a large down payment, often from the sale of another home or from stock compensation, and that buyer's timing depends on another closing or a vesting date. A seller who can offer a flexible closing date is easier to deal with, and a private buyer can set it to suit.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B25003, B25038, B25070, B25042, B25064 and B19013, via Census Reporter, with Realtor.com rent figures as cited. Shares are computed here.

What does the building mix say about the Ravenna market?

The postal area is split between houses and apartments. Of 25,486 housing units, 15,209, or 59.7%, are detached houses and 913, or 3.6%, are attached, so 63.3% are houses. Buildings of two to four units hold 4.4%, buildings of five to nineteen hold 7.8%, buildings of twenty to forty-nine hold 8.5% and buildings of fifty or more hold 4,074 units, 16.0%. Altogether 8,221 units, 32.3%, are in buildings of five or more.

That mix explains the renter share and the wide range of prices. A postal area median blends a detached house on a lot that sold for more than $2M with a condominium that sold for a few hundred thousand. Ravenna, as Redfin draws it, is mostly houses, which is why its median of $1,058,239 is well above the postal area sold median of $940,000, and it is also why an owner of a house should use the neighborhood figures and not the postal area ones.

Vacancy is low. Of 1,643 vacant homes, 6.4% of all units, 518, or 31.5%, are held for other reasons, 466, 28.4%, are for rent, 261, 15.9%, are rented and not yet occupied, 134, 8.2%, are for sale only, 102, 6.2%, are sold and not yet occupied and 162, 9.9%, are seasonal. Only 134 homes for sale, against a postal area of 25,486 units, is a very thin supply.

The age of the stock is old for the region: the median build year is 1962, and 5,149 units, 20.2%, were built before 1940. Another 3,610, 14.2%, date from the 1940s and 3,648, 14.3%, from the 1950s, so 12,407 units, 48.7%, were built before 1960. A buyer will ask about the roof, the foundation, the sewer line and the wiring of an older house, which a sibling brief on Wedgwood takes up in detail.

One more number is worth a look. The owner side of the postal area has 14,230 households, and of these 402 moved in during 2023 or later and 2,113 between 2020 and 2022, so 2,515, or 17.7%, moved in since 2020, while 4,293, or 30.2%, have been owners since before 2000. A long-time owner with a low basis and a recent buyer with a high mortgage rate will weigh an offer very differently, and neither is helped by a market where the median moves by a sixth in a year. For both, a firm price for the home in front of them is more useful than a headline.

For an owner, the building mix is a reminder to know which market the home is in. A house with a yard competes with other houses, and a condominium competes with other condominiums. A private buyer does not need the comparison, since the offer is for the home as it stands, with no showings, no open houses and no inspection repairs. Readers comparing markets can also read the Bellevue brief and the Wedgwood brief.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B25024, B25004 and B25034, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

What should a Ravenna owner ask, and what does a private sale change?

Five questions are worth asking. Which page matches my home, the neighborhood or the postal area? What did truly comparable homes close for in the last six months? Is my price set by the median or by the sale of a home like mine? What will the fees be? How much of the price survives the buyer's inspection?

Fees are simple arithmetic, and no rate is assumed here. Each 1% of a $450,000 sale is $4,500, of a $725,000 sale is $7,250 and of a $1,200,000 sale is $12,000. Three percent is $13,500, $21,750 and $36,000, and five percent is $22,500, $36,250 and $60,000. A seller can put their own quoted costs into those rows. On the Redfin median of $1,058,239, 1% is $10,582.

In a market where homes go pending in about a week, the weeks before a sale carry the cost. A house must be cleared, repaired, staged and photographed, and then shown on a schedule that suits buyers. That is the work that a private sale avoids: it has no showings and no neighbors talking about it, which is the first benefit, and a closing date that suits the seller, which is the second.

The third and fourth benefits are no commission costs and no closing costs, and the fifth is no inspection repairs. In a postal area where 48.7% of homes were built before 1960, the fifth matters, since a buyer's inspector will test each system.

Maison Off-Market buys luxury homes and estates directly from their owners and speaks only to sellers. It does not say that a private sale always beats a public listing, and in a market where homes often sell above the ask, an owner is right to compare an offer with what the same home would net after costs. If you would like a private, no-obligation offer for a home in Ravenna, call 401-219-4207 or use the contact form on this site.

Sources as cited. Fee illustrations are arithmetic only and assume no commission rate.

Methodology and limitations

Each page's date, title and place were read before use. The Redfin page is for the three months ending August 2026, and its price and per-foot changes conflict, so they are reported as printed and not relied on together. The Zillow page was updated August 31, 2026. The Realtor.com postal area page is for September 2026 and compares with a month earlier and a year earlier. Its rent change of down 28.34% is reported as printed and flagged. No Realtor.com neighborhood page for Ravenna was found. Only established data publishers and the Census are cited. The Census figures are five-year estimates for the postal area that includes Ravenna, shared with a sibling post on Wedgwood. Percent changes were taken as printed, and ratios, sums, fee figures and year-earlier values are this brief's arithmetic.

Conclusion

The record for Ravenna shows a neighborhood median of $1,058,239 that fell over the year while its per-foot price rose, a value index of $1,070,147 that barely moved, homes that sell above the ask in about a week and a postal area where 40.3% of homes are rented. The useful number for an owner is a closed sale of a comparable home nearby, and a private buyer can price the home in front of them.