Published October 28, 2026 in Market Update

North and south Ankeny are moving at different speeds

By Steve Stych

Real estate, Ankeny

Rates matter here. Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates surged above 7% for the first time since January 2025. CNBC put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.37% as of October 28, 2026. When borrowing costs climb, buyers slow down. But they are not slowing down everywhere in Ankeny at the same pace.

Ankeny has two ZIP codes, and locals know 1st Street as the line between them. ZIP 50023 sits north of that line. ZIP 50021 covers the south side, including Uptown. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted the three months ending August 31, 2026, and the two sides read very differently.

The speed gap is the story

The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 39.7% of homes in ZIP 50023 went under contract within two weeks of listing. In ZIP 50021, it was 24%. That is a 15.7-point gap between two parts of the same city. One strategy will not fit both.

That gap also moved in opposite directions over the past year. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the north side's two-week rate climbed 9 points from a year ago. The south side's dropped 6.4 points. So the difference is widening, not shrinking.

Days on market tell the same story

To put it in perspective: the north side is moving twice as fast. A home in ZIP 50023 sat on the market a median of 23 days. A home in ZIP 50021 sat 56 days. Both figures come from the Real Estate Data Aggregator for the three months ending August 31, 2026.

Prices moved in different directions too

The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the median sale price in ZIP 50023 came in at $350,000, down 5.4% from the same three months in 2025. In ZIP 50021, the median was $340,000, up 7.9% from a year ago. So the south side is seeing price growth even as it takes longer to sell. That is not a contradiction. It often means sellers there are holding firm on price, and buyers are eventually agreeing.

Both sides are still selling close to list price. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the sale-to-list ratio at 99% in ZIP 50023 and 99.3% in ZIP 50021. Pricing right still matters. Realtor.com reported that 20.8% of listings nationally took a price cut in September 2026, the highest share since October 2022. Ankeny is not immune to that pressure.

More homes came to market on both sides

More listings mean more choices for buyers. That is generally good for people shopping. For sellers, it means more competition on the street. Pricing carefully, and knowing which side of 1st Street you are on, matters more than it did a year ago.

Supply is still lean, but it is growing

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 2.5 months of supply in ZIP 50023 and 2.6 months in ZIP 50021 for the three months ending August 31, 2026. Generally speaking, six months is considered a balanced market. Both sides of Ankeny are still well below that. But the south side added inventory, with homes for sale up 16.3% from a year ago. The north side actually saw a small dip, down 2.8%.

What the rate environment adds to this

CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.37% as of October 28, 2026. That is the context buyers are working inside. CNBC also reported that mortgage purchase applications rose 4% for the week, so people are still moving. But adjustable-rate mortgages now make up 11.3% of applications, the highest share in more than a year, according to CNBC. Some buyers are finding ways to manage the rate.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. home prices rose 2.4% from August 2025 to August 2026. Ankeny's south side outpaced that national figure. The north side did not. Both are real outcomes, and neither is a reason to panic or to rush.

What this means if you are selling

If your home is in ZIP 50023, north of 1st Street, the data suggests buyers are moving quickly. The median days on market was 23, and nearly 4 in 10 homes went under contract within two weeks, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Pricing accurately from the start is important, because that speed can disappear fast if you start too high.

If your home is in ZIP 50021, south of 1st Street or in Uptown, plan for more time. The median was 56 days. That does not mean your home will not sell. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 275 homes sold there in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 29.1% from a year ago. More homes are selling. They are just taking longer.

What this means if you are buying

In ZIP 50023, you may have less time to decide. Nearly 40% of homes went under contract in two weeks. Come prepared. In ZIP 50021, you generally have more room to think. Fifty-six median days on market gives you time to look carefully. Both sides still sold close to list price, so do not expect large discounts.

Also worth knowing: a West Des Moines address does not always mean West Des Moines schools, and an Ankeny address does not tell you which high school a home feeds. Ankeny Centennial High School and Ankeny High School serve different parts of the city. Confirm the attendance zone by address before you make any assumptions.

I may have missed something that matters for your specific street. If something here does not match what you are seeing, I would genuinely like to know. These numbers cover whole ZIP codes, and one block can read differently from the rest.