Equilux
All in good light
Fall slipped in last night around dinnertime. Today is its first full day, and I'm treating it like a holiday.
Everything I love shows up all at once. The weather has manners again, warm at noon and brisk by dusk. It's Hispanic Heritage Month, which for a Mexisotan means thirty days of being loudly, happily both. (Jaja, nah. We'll still be loud after the month is over.) And cinnamon has staged its annual takeover. Resistance is futile.
October lurks just around the corner. Each afternoon stroll grows a shade darker and a shade quieter, until the only sound is the leaves behind you.
They are only leaves. Probably. 👻
Leave a light on.
Market Update
The national picture
The housing market is having its own everything-at-once moment. Less party, more group chat where nobody agrees.
Sales fell 2% in August. Prices rose anyway. Inventory hit its highest level since 2019. And mortgage rates climbed to nearly 7% the same week the Fed raised rates. Depending on which number you read first, it's a buyer's market, a seller's market, or a standoff.
The equinox happened Tuesday night, but in St. Paul, day and night don't split evenly until Friday. That's the equilux, and it runs on local time.
Real estate works like the equilux. The national headline gives you the general idea. Your street gives you the actual numbers, whether that street runs through Macalester-Groveland, Highland Park, Summit Hill, or Merriam Park.
The Twin Cities, August 2026
If you're buying: New listings jumped 8.2% across the metro, the seventh straight month of gains. Statewide inventory is at a seven-year high. You have choices now, and time to make them. Homes are taking 45 days to sell, and sellers are accepting 98.2% of list price, a little less than last year. There is room to negotiate. Not a ballroom. A room.
If you're selling: Prices are still climbing, just at a more civilized pace. The metro median rose 1.3% to $405,000. St. Paul had a harder month, with sales down 12.6% from last August, but more listings bring more buyers out looking. And above $1 million, sales rose 15.5% statewide. The top of the market is having a very good fall. The sellers winning right now are priced right on day one. Not low. Right.
What I'm actually seeing: Statewide, this is the most balanced August since 2017. Buyers are shopping like they have time, because they do. Sellers who show up prepared are still getting their number.
A note on timing: Real estate data always runs a month behind, and that's by design. Closings need time to settle before the numbers tell the truth. What you're reading is August. September is still writing its story.
Note from Natasha
The equinox gets the press. The equilux gets it right.
I think about that a lot in this business. The national headlines are loud this month, and they can't agree on anything. What your home is worth lives closer to the ground: on your block, in your neighborhood, in the details you only notice after two decades of walking these streets.
If you're wondering what this fall means for your home, let's talk. Coffee's on me. Cinnamon optional.
Natasha Cejudo
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Frequently Asked Questions
What neighborhoods does Natasha Cejudo serve?
Natasha Cejudo specializes in Saint Paul's historic neighborhoods, including Macalester-Groveland, Highland Park, Summit Hill, Summit University, and Merriam Park, along with surrounding areas such as Cathedral Hill. She works with architecturally distinctive homes and the buyers and sellers who love them.
What is WOW?
WOW is Natasha Cejudo's weekly lifestyle newsletter, sent every Wednesday. It covers life, culture, and design in Saint Paul, with a monthly market update and a short note from Natasha on real estate. You can subscribe at active.social/social-share/ghf7w.
What are current housing market conditions in the Twin Cities and Saint Paul?
As of August 2026, the Twin Cities market is more balanced than it has been in years. Metro new listings rose 8.2%, the median sales price rose 1.3% to $405,000, and sellers received 98.2% of list price on average, with homes selling in about 45 days. St. Paul sales were down 12.6% from last year, while sales above $1 million rose 15.5% statewide. Nationally, mortgage rates are near 7% and inventory is at its highest level since 2019, giving buyers more choice and more room to negotiate.
Who is Natasha Cejudo?
Natasha Cejudo is a luxury real estate advisor with Sotheby's International Realty in the Twin Cities, working in real estate since 2005. A Macalester College alumna and NAHREP member, she runs a relationship-based, referral-driven practice focused on Saint Paul's historic neighborhoods and architecturally distinctive properties.
