Real Estate Analysis and Commentary

California Home Sales Rise From Year-Ago as Median Home Price Breaks a New Record in May

• Existing, single-family home sales increased 5.1 percent year over year to 268,810 in May on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis and were down 3.1 percent from 277,360 in April.
  
  
• The statewide median home price reached a record high for the second straight month to $930,260, up 2.3 percent from April’s downwardly revised price of $909,410 and up 3.1% from $902,040 in May 2025.
  
  
• Year-to-date sales increased 1.2 percent through the first five months of 2026.

SACRAMENTO (June 17) – California home sales increased from the previous year in May for the second consecutive month, while a shift in sales of higher-priced properties buoyed California’s median home price to another historic high as housing supply tightens, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today.

Infographic: https://www.car.org/Global/Infographics/2026-05-Sales-and-Price

With home sales increasing at a year-over-year growth pace of 5.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 268,810 homes, the California housing market experienced the strongest annual gain in eight months, according to data collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR® associations and MLSs statewide. On a month-over-month basis, home sales dipped 3.1 percent from April’s upwardly revised 277,360 units. The statewide annualized sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2026 if sales maintained the May pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

May’s statewide sales remained below the 300,000-unit benchmark for the 44th consecutive month. Despite the month-to-month pullback, May’s stronger-than-expected performance pushed sales up 1.2 percent through the first five months of 2026, an indication that homebuying activity has picked up as geopolitical tensions showed signs of easing in recent weeks.

“California’s home sales softened in May as broader economic uncertainty continued to weigh on consumer confidence and homebuying sentiment,” said C.A.R. President Tamara Suminski, a Southern California broker and REALTOR®. “Even so, the recent easing in mortgage rates is an encouraging development, and if that trend continues, it could help bring more buyers and sellers back into the market and support a gradual improvement in housing conditions beginning in the third quarter.”

Driven by continued sales gains in the higher-priced segment, California’s median home price reached a new record high of $930,260 in May. The home price rose 2.3 percent from April’s downwardly revised price of $909,410. The monthly gain was more than double the historical average typically observed between April and May over the past 30 years. The median price climbed 3.1 percent year over year, marking the strongest annual gain since March 2025. The increase was enough to push the statewide median above $900,000 for the second time in 2026.

A record share of million-dollar home sales in May continued to shift the statewide sales mix toward higher-priced properties. Sales of homes priced between $1 million and $2 million surged 8.2 percent from a year earlier, while sales above $2 million soared 8.5 percent. By comparison, sales in the $500,000 to $1 million range declined 3.4 percent, underscoring the affordability challenges facing middle-income buyers. Strong equity market performance over the past two months supported higher-end housing demand. The growing concentration of activity in the higher-end segment was also reflected in the share of million-dollar home sales, which reached a record-high 38.5 percent of all transactions.

“Housing supply has remained constrained in recent months as the lock-in effect continued to put many would-be sellers on the sidelines, intensifying competition and placing upward pressure on home prices,” said C.A.R. Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Jordan Levine. “While the statewide median price typically reaches its seasonal peak in May, the recent easing of tensions in the Middle East could bring more buyers back into the market and keep price pressures up at the start of the third quarter.”

Other key points from C.A.R.’s May 2026 resale housing report include:

• Four of California’s five major regions recorded year-over-year increases in non-seasonally adjusted home sales in May, although the pace of growth varied considerably across the state. The Central Coast led all regions with a robust 21.4 percent increase from a year earlier, while the San Francisco Bay Area (5.5 percent) and the Central Valley (0.1 percent) also posted a more moderate gain from last year. Southern California (-0.4 percent) and the Far North region (0.4 percent) both recorded an annual decline in sales but the dips were attributed primarily to fewer days of transactions in May 2026 compared to the same month last year.
  
  
• At the county level, 32 of the 53 counties tracked by C.A.R. recorded year-over-year sales gains in May, with half (16) posting double-digit increases from a year earlier. Glenn led all counties with a 54.5 percent surge in sales, followed by Monterey (41.2 percent) and Amador (39.5 percent). Meanwhile, 18 counties experienced annual sales declines, including 9 that fell by more than 10 percent. Trinity posted the steepest drop (-72.7 percent), while Del Norte (-50.0 percent) and Plumas (-31.0 percent) recorded the second- and third-largest declines, respectively. C.A.R. notes these dramatic fluctuations are largely due to small transaction sizes and shifting sales mixes rather than actual home-value depreciation.
  
  
• Housing inventory remained relatively tight in May, slipping further below its year-ago level despite edging up from April. The Unsold Inventory Index (UII) increased 3.0 percent from April to May but declined 10.5 percent on a year-over-year basis. While total active listings followed their typical seasonal pattern and continued to rise month-to-month, they fell below year-ago levels for the fourth consecutive month and posted their largest annual decline since December 2023. Elevated mortgage rates, persistent inflation concerns, and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty may discourage some homeowners from entering the market, particularly those reluctant to give up existing low-rate mortgages. As a result, inventory constraints are likely to remain a challenge during the peak homebuying season and could prevent inventory conditions from improving during the remainder of the buying season.
   
• Total active listings declined on a year-over-year basis in 40 of the 53 counties tracked by C.A.R., reflecting improving housing demand and a tightening supply environment in many parts of the state in May. San Francisco recorded the steepest decline, with active listings plunging 42 percent from May 2025, followed by Marin (-31.2 percent) and Nevada (-31.1 percent). Another 19 counties posted double-digit declines in active inventory, suggesting that buyer demand has strengthened faster than new supply has entered the market. Meanwhile, 13 counties recorded year-over-year increases in active listings, led by Mono (47.8 percent), Calaveras (28.8 percent), and Tulare (23.9 percent). The widespread decline in active listings reinforces the broader statewide trend of tightening supply conditions heading into the summer months.

   

• The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home was 22 days in May, unchanged from a year ago.
  
  
• The statewide sales-price-to-list-price ratio* has remained consistent for a few months at 100.0 percent, mirroring both last month and last year’s numbers.
  
  
• The median price per square foot** for an existing California single-family home increased from $439 in May 2025 to $447 this May.
  
  
• The monthly average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.44 percent in May, up from 6.33 percent last month, but down from the 6.82 percent average recorded in May 2025.

Note: The County MLS median price and sales data in the tables are generated from a survey of more than 90 associations of REALTORS® throughout the state and represent statistics of existing single-family detached homes only. County sales data is not adjusted to account for seasonal factors that can influence home sales. Movements in sales prices should not be interpreted as changes in the cost of a standard home. The median price is where half sold for more and half sold for less; medians are more typical than average prices, which are skewed by a relatively small share of transactions at either the lower end or the upper end. Median prices can be influenced by changes in cost, as well as changes in the characteristics and the size of homes sold. The change in median prices should not be construed as actual price changes in specific homes.

*Sales-to-list-price ratio is an indicator that reflects the negotiation power of home buyers and home sellers under current market conditions. The ratio is calculated by dividing the final sales price of a property by its original list price and is expressed as a percentage. A sales-to-list ratio with 100 percent or above suggests that the property sold for more than the list price, and a ratio below 100 percent indicates that the price sold below the asking price.

**Price per square foot is a measure commonly used by real estate agents and brokers to determine how much a square foot of space a buyer will pay for a property. It is calculated as the sale price of the home divided by the number of finished square feet. C.A.R. currently tracks price-per-square foot statistics for 53 counties.