San Diego Market Update: September 2026

The short version of this month's market: detached homes are still climbing slowly, attached homes have leveled off, and buyers have slightly more room to work with, without the market cracking anywhere. For anyone who is pre-approved and ready to move, that is a genuinely workable setup.

Where prices stand

According to the Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS' August data, the median price for a detached single-family home in San Diego County was $1,120,000, up about 4.7% from a year ago. Attached homes, which means condos and townhomes counted together, sat at a $670,000 median, essentially unchanged at about 0.1% year over year.

The condo and townhome story

Slice attached homes apart and the picture gets more interesting. Homes.com's August figures put the townhome median at $860,000, up 9.4% year over year, while condos came in at $624,999, up just 0.4%. Different providers measure the same market a little differently, which is exactly why I lean on the countywide attached number for the big picture and only dig into the breakdown when it changes a decision. The takeaway for buyers: attached homes are offering the steadiest pricing in the county right now.

How fast homes are selling

The typical San Diego County home sold in 29 days in August, according to the North San Diego County REALTORS' local market update, down from 32 days a year earlier, and the year-to-date median sits around 31 days. What that tells you: buyers still need to move with purpose, a well-priced home in the right neighborhood does not sit. But this is not the blink-and-it's-gone market of a few years ago either. You have time to think, just not to dawdle.

Inventory: more balance, not more flooding

Inventory tells the balance story. Detached listings are down about 20.7% year over year, while attached inventory is up about 4.6%, per the REALTORS' data. Countywide supply ran around 3.1 months in July 2026, with about 2.5 months of detached supply and 4.1 months of attached. That is still below the roughly five to six months that marks a balanced market, but it is a far cry from the scarcity buyers wrestled with a few years ago.

Averages describe the county. Your move is decided by your street.

What this means for you, the well-qualified buyer

For buyers who are pre-approved and ready, there are three genuinely good signs in these numbers. Detached prices are still appreciating, which matters when you are buying a home you plan to live in for years. The flat attached market means condos and townhomes come with negotiating room that simply did not exist during the boom. And 29 days on market means the homes you like will move, but you will not be stampeded into a decision the way buyers were a few years back.

The honest fine print

Every number above comes from a specific source and a specific month, and every provider counts a little differently. August data can shift by the time you read this; new listings, seasonality, and mortgage rates change the picture week by week. I will never tell you to time the market. What I will do is pull the current numbers for your exact neighborhood, your price range, and your home type, and help you read them honestly.

Let's get you a personalized read

This is where I stop writing about averages and start talking about you. County medians are useful, but your move is decided by your street, your budget, your timeline, and your trade-offs. Send me a note or give me a call, and I will walk through where the market stands for your situation, no pressure and no jargon. And if you are not yet pre-approved, I am happy to connect you with a lender I trust and have worked with for years, so you know exactly what you can afford before we go looking.