Market Report
Fastest-Moving Housing Markets in California
Which California cities are moving fastest for sellers right now. We rank markets by their monthly absorption rate, the share of homes for sale that clear in a typical month. A higher share means buyers are competing and inventory is turning over quickly, the clearest read on a hot market for a seller. This is analysis drawn from the numbers, so for every underlying figure by city, see the California housing market data.
Based on August 2026 inventory. Ranked from verified sales data and live market data. Updated on a nightly cycle.
The finding
Berkeley is California's fastest-moving housing market. About 68% of the homes for sale there clear in a typical month, the highest absorption rate of any qualifying market. Homes there take a median of about 32 days to go under contract.
Rounding out the top of the list: Alameda (57%), Lakewood (54%), San Leandro (45%).
How fast the top markets are moving
Monthly absorption rate by city. The longer the bar, the faster homes are selling relative to what is for sale.
The fastest-moving markets, ranked
Sorted by monthly absorption rate. Each city links to its full housing-market page.
| Rank | City | Sells per month | Days on market | Median list price | For sale | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berkeley | 68% | 32 | $950,000 | 72 | Seller's Market |
| 2 | Alameda | 57% | 52 | $979,000 | 63 | Balanced Market |
| 3 | Lakewood | 54% | 32 | $889,000 | 61 | Seller's Market |
| 4 | San Leandro | 45% | 32 | $810,000 | 66 | Seller's Market |
| 5 | Redwood City | 45% | 58 | $1,550,000 | 77 | Balanced Market |
| 6 | Martinez | 45% | 40 | $745,000 | 60 | Balanced Market |
| 7 | Norwalk | 45% | 33 | $749,999 | 65 | Seller's Market |
| 8 | Lafayette | 44% | 43 | $1,767,880 | 54 | Balanced Market |
| 9 | Mission Viejo | 44% | 39 | $1,125,000 | 156 | Balanced Market |
| 10 | San Mateo | 44% | 76 | $1,249,999 | 89 | Balanced Market |
| 11 | Carlsbad | 44% | 41 | $1,199,000 | 215 | Balanced Market |
| 12 | Highland | 43% | 42 | $585,000 | 67 | Balanced Market |
| 13 | Livermore | 43% | 39 | $1,100,000 | 134 | Seller's Market |
| 14 | San Clemente | 42% | 57 | $1,999,000 | 117 | Balanced Market |
| 15 | Santee | 42% | 32 | $718,990 | 86 | Seller's Market |
| 16 | Santa Maria | 41% | 59 | $789,900 | 94 | Balanced Market |
| 17 | Buena Park | 40% | 38 | $930,000 | 67 | Balanced Market |
| 18 | Sunnyvale | 40% | 31 | $1,599,000 | 98 | Seller's Market |
| 19 | Manhattan Beach | 40% | 53 | $5,400,000 | 63 | Balanced Market |
| 20 | Union City | 39% | 35 | $1,299,888 | 51 | Seller's Market |
| 21 | Torrance | 39% | 49 | $925,000 | 192 | Balanced Market |
| 22 | Cypress | 39% | 34 | $949,000 | 59 | Balanced Market |
| 23 | Redondo Beach | 39% | 53 | $1,579,000 | 119 | Balanced Market |
| 24 | Fullerton | 39% | 39 | $979,000 | 132 | Balanced Market |
| 25 | Seal Beach | 39% | 58 | $469,000 | 83 | Balanced Market |
“Sells per month” is the absorption rate: the typical number of homes that sell each month divided by the number for sale. Days on market is the median time to go under contract.
Methodology
What was ranked
Ranked by monthly absorption rate, the typical number of homes that sell each month divided by the number of homes currently for sale. A higher share means the market clears its inventory faster. Ties break to the lower average days on market.
Who was included
Cities with at least 50 homes actively for sale and a real monthly sales figure, so thin markets cannot top the list. About 25 markets are shown.
As of
2026-08-28. August 2026 inventory.
Good to know
Absorption and days on market come from live market data on the current active inventory. A market can be fast and still be a good deal, so read this alongside price and price cuts, not on its own.
Go deeper on any market
Open a city's full housing-market page for its price history, inventory, and the rest of the picture, or start from the complete statewide dataset.
Every California city, all the numbers- Berkeley housing market68%
- Alameda housing market57%
- Lakewood housing market54%
- San Leandro housing market45%
- Redwood City housing market45%
- Martinez housing market45%
- Norwalk housing market45%
- Lafayette housing market44%
- Mission Viejo housing market44%
- San Mateo housing market44%
- Carlsbad housing market44%
- Highland housing market43%
- Livermore housing market43%
- San Clemente housing market42%
- Santee housing market42%
- Santa Maria housing market41%
- Buena Park housing market40%
- Sunnyvale housing market40%
- Manhattan Beach housing market40%
- Union City housing market39%
- Torrance housing market39%
- Cypress housing market39%
- Redondo Beach housing market39%
- Fullerton housing market39%
- Seal Beach housing market39%
Cite this report
Topfind Realty, “Fastest-Moving Housing Markets in California 2026.” August 2026 inventory. https://www.topfindrealty.com/california-housing-market-reports/hottest-markets
Free to reference with attribution and a link back to Topfind Realty. Prefer to embed a live city widget or work from the raw files? Both live on the market data hub.