Santa Cruz County Market Update – March 2026
Santa Cruz County Market Update – March 2026
– The median SFH sales price for March was $1.30M, up 1.6% from February’s $1.28M. March ’26 median home price is down 5.8% from March ’25’s $1.38M.
– Number of Sales increased 25.6% from February ’26, with 108 closings compared to 86. Sales are up 14.9% from March ’25’s 94 closings.
– Days on Market in March ’26 was 47, down from 57 in February ’26. Days on Market in March ’25 was 40.
March continued the upward trajectory in volume that started in February, with 108 closings marking the strongest month since last fall. The 25.6% month-over-month increase is partly seasonal, as spring typically brings more closed transactions from contracts written in January and February. But the year-over-year gain of nearly 15% adds weight to the idea that buyer activity is genuinely stronger than it was at this point in 2025.
Pricing tells a more nuanced story. The median rose slightly from February to $1.30M, but sits 5.8% below March 2025’s $1.38M. That year-over-year decline is worth watching, though a single month’s median can be heavily influenced by the mix of what sold. The average sales price of $1.36M, compared to $1.51M a year ago, suggests fewer ultra-high-end closings this March relative to last year rather than broad-based price erosion.
Days on market improved to 47 from February’s 57, a normal seasonal tightening as spring demand picks up. Compared to March 2025’s 40 days, properties are still taking a bit longer to move. Months of supply dropped to 4.2 from 5.0 a year ago, indicating that while homes ,may sit slightly longer, the overall absorption rate has actually improved.
The picture so far: volume is up, pricing is holding in a reasonable band, and the market is absorbing inventory efficiently. The year-over-year median dip warrants monitoring, but with sales pace accelerating, it looks more like a compositional shift than a fundamental softening.
