California’s housing market showed signs of renewed activity in October, with existing single-family home sales climbing to their highest level since February, according to the latest data from the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.).
The state recorded a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 282,590 home sales, up 1.9% from September and 4.1% higher than a year ago.
Despite the uptick, sales remained below the 300,000-unit mark for the 37th consecutive month, highlighting the market’s ongoing challenges.
“Housing demand in California has been steadily improving, with home sales rising for the third month in a row,” said 2026 C.A.R. president Tamara Suminski.
“Even though mortgage rates have inched up since late October, the market remains active, and buyers still have solid opportunities. Home prices are growing at a manageable pace, and we’re seeing a healthier balance between buyers and sellers. As we head into 2026, these trends point to a promising moment for anyone considering a move in the California real estate market,” Suminski said.
The statewide median home price ticked up 0.4% from September to $886,960 in October, but was down 0.2% from a year earlier. That’s the first annual decline in three months.
The median price per square foot slipped to $431 from $442 last October.
According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), 77% of metro markets, or 176 out of 230, posted price gains, up from 75% in the previous quarter.
The list of the most expensive markets remained dominated by California, with San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara topping the chart at $1.9 million, up 0.8% year over year.
“With the market easing into its seasonal slowdown, housing demand will stay soft, and California is likely to close out 2025 with only a modest uptick in home sales over last year,” C.A.R. senior vice president and chief economist Jordan Levine noted.