February Home Sales and Price Report

California home sales, prices rise in February as mortgage rates ease, C.A.R. reports

• Existing, single-family home sales totaled 274,820 in February on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, up 7.0 percent from 256,910 in January and down 0.3 percent from 275,600 in February 2025.

  
  

• February’s statewide median home price was $830,370, up 0.9 percent from $822,630 in January and up from $829,060 in February 2025.

  
  

• Year-to-date statewide home sales were down 0.7 percent in February.

For full release visit https://www.car.org/aboutus/mediacenter/newsreleases/2026releases/Feb2026sales

C.A.R. news release: Leading California Gubernatorial Candidates Share Homeownership Views at C.A.R. Forum

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (March 6) -- Homeownership emerged as a defining issue in California’s 2026 gubernatorial race as six leading candidates gathered in Sacramento for the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) 2026 Homeownership Matters Gubernatorial Forum, focused on expanding pathways to ownership across the state.

Moderated by C.A.R. 2026 President Tamara Suminski and C.A.R. CEO Phil Hawkins, the forum brought candidates together to discuss solutions to California’s housing affordability crisis and the role of homeownership in strengthening communities.

Throughout the discussion, candidates from across the political spectrum acknowledged the severity of the state’s housing challenges and committed to making homeownership a priority if elected governor.

For full release, visit https://www.car.org/aboutus/mediacenter/newsreleases/2026releases/HOMgubforumpostevent

Watch the recorded forum on https://www.car.org/meetings/livestream or on Youtube.

Lower Mortgage Rates Push First-Time Buyer Age to 35

Homebuyers in the U.S. are skewing slightly younger as mortgage rates ease and affordability improves modestly. New data from Redfin show the median age of first-time buyers fell to 35 in 2025, down from 36 in 2024 and below a recent peak of 38 in 2018.

The median age of repeat buyers also declined, dropping to 47 from 52 in the previous year, which had marked a 25-year high.

Gen Z's homeownership rate rose to 27.1% from 26.1% a year earlier, while millennials' rate increased to 55.4% from 54.9%.

For more information, visit smartzonecar.org/newsroom