Nearly 1 in 4 Homes Sell Within a Week in California’s Major Cities, Study Finds

Nearly one in four homes is selling within a week in some California cities, a new study has shown.

The demand for homes in California’s coastal cities remains high, with homes in San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco selling within a week of its listing and often above the asking price, underscoring the competition among buyers, according to a recent study by Zillow.

However, while coastal and tech-driven cities are still hot real estate markets, some inland cities are seeing slow movement.

San Jose emerged as one of the hottest real estate markets in California, with homes in the city moving fast among intense bidding wars. Around 22.4% of homes in San Jose sold within seven days, based on February 2026 data.

Nearly 84% of homes in San Jose sold within seven days above the listing price, while 60.9% of all homes sold above the listing price. Reflecting the fast-moving nature of San Jose’s real estate, the median age of all active listings (based on March 2026 data) was 17 days.

The median sale price of homes in San Jose is $1.48 million, according to Redfin estimates. A total of 508 homes were sold in March 2026, representing a 3.9% jump from the same period last year.

Nearby, San Francisco showed a similar competitive trend.

Over 79% of homes in San Francisco sold higher than the listing price, while 55% of all homes sold above the listing price, according to Zillow. Similar to San Jose, the median age of all active listings in San Francisco was 20 days.

Balanced Markets

Other California cities see relatively same demand for homes but considerably less frenzied action, according to Zillow’s analysis.

In San Diego, over 19% of homes were sold within seven days, with 59% of homes selling higher than the listing price.

The median age of all active listings is 33 days.

About 31.5% of all homes sell above the asking price, underscoring San Diego’s appeal among homebuyers.

While homes in Los Angeles continue to see high demand, buyers have a bit more time to negotiate and weigh out their options before making a deal.

In Los Angeles, 14.4% of homes were sold within seven days, with 56.1% of homes selling above the listing price.

Overall, a little over 32% of homes in Los Angeles sell above the listing price in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Sacramento was more of a standout city due to its affordability.

Around 24.6% of homes in the capital city sold within seven days, with 62.5% of homes selling above the listing price.

Overall, nearly 30% of all homes in Sacramento sell above the listing price.

Homes here also move swiftly, with the median age of all active listings standing to 26 days.

Slow Movement in Inland Cities

Inland cities show a clear sign of cooling down.

In Riverside, only 12.4% of homes were sold in seven days, while almost 49% of homes sold above listing price. Overall, over 23% of homes in Riverside sold higher than the listing price. Homes in the city are taking longer to sell, with the median age of all active listings standing to 55 days.

Although homes are taking longer to sell, it is also giving buyers leverage and resulting in fewer bidding wars.

Home prices in Riverside are more on the affordable side, with the median sale price of a home standing to $632,500, according to Redfin. The sale price fell by 0.39% from the same period last year.

However, more number of homes were sold in March 2026, with home sales increasing by 6.7% to total 160 sales, according to Redfin estimates.

Broader National Trends

Nationally, 18.5% of homes went pending within seven days in February 2026, according to Zillow.

St. Louis, Hartford, and Seattle were among the fastest real estate markets in the nation, with more than one homes selling in seven days. More than 44% of the homes sold above the asking price.

In March, the average home that sold went pending in 19 days, while the median age of active listings was 56 days.

Many Midwest markets, such as St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Kansas City, have at least three in 10 homes selling within seven days.

On the other hand, Sun Belt markets (including Austin, San Antonio, Charlotte and Jacksonville) saw inventory surging and fewer than one in 10 homes selling that quickly.