February Market Update

Feb 27

Hi All,

If you’ve stopped by an open house lately, you’ve probably noticed that they’re busy. Buyers are back and they’re serious about finding a home. Inventory has been down up to 24% in some areas compared to this time last year, in part because of the weather and in part perhaps because of sellers still not being ready to trade in their low mortgage rates. As a result, competition for homes that show well and are priced right has been strong all across the inner East Bay. This has been pushing prices upward in many neighborhoods already. We are tracking the data closely as we head into the spring market.

We’ve been very busy ourselves. Our first two lovely listings of the year are pending with multiple offers, and we have two new listings on the market now (links below). Our buyer clients have also been successful in securing beautiful homes to call their own, when the right home shows up. It’s a competitive market, but with preparation and strategy, we can help you navigate the process.

More good news is that mortgage rates are beginning to lower. The average 30-year fixed rate dropped to 5.99% this week — the lowest we’ve seen since 2022. As the weather starts to clear up, we’re optimistic that more properties will come onto the market, to meet the needs of buyers.

And on a completely different note, we couldn’t be more proud of the East Bay’s own Alysa Liu for her incredible performances at the Olympics, both on and off the ice! She inspires us with her calm confidence, palpable joy in doing what she loves, and her amazing energy all around.

Come say at one of our open houses this weekend!

Cheers,

Corey, Maria, Anita and Carla

PS--and in other news, we are so grateful to all of our clients for helping us be recognized as Top Producers in 2025. We appreciate your continues trust and support and referrals to your friends and families. Thank you!

Our Current Listings

4452 Davenport Ave
Oakland, CA

4452Davenport.com

1261 Hearst Ave
Berkeley, CA

1261Hearst.com

Inner East Bay Market Updates

JANUARY 2026 WRAP-UP

The inner East Bay kicked off 2026 with a market that still tilts in favor of sellers. The standout statistic is the 10.4% jump in median sales price to $1.05 million. Combined with a 21.1% decline in inventory, this suggests intense competition for a limited number of homes. Despite fewer new contracts (–8.6%) and closed sales (–7.0%) compared with January 2024, homes moved more quickly—median time on market fell to 17 days, a 19.0% drop—indicating that desirable listings are still being snapped up almost immediately.

Tight supply is also reflected in pricing behavior. More than half of homes (56.4%) sold above their asking price, up from 51.6% a year earlier, and sellers received an average of 107.2% of list price, another small gain. The price per square foot rose just 1.0%, so the steep rise in the median price appears to be driven more by the scarcity of move‑in‑ready homes than by across‑the‑board appreciation. Meanwhile, lower contract and sales counts largely mirror the reduced number of listings rather than waning demand; many homeowners remain reluctant to trade sub‑3% mortgages for higher rates, keeping inventory lean.

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES