September Market Update

INNER EAST BAY MARKET UPDATE

Happy Fall!

Today marks the first day of Autumn - a time that many associate with change, new beginnings, and gratitude. This season signals an opportunity to rest and refresh. Here are a few of our personal favorites; things that we find restorative, interesting and just fun!

Exercise Classes:

Have you tried Mighty Pilates, Corepower Yoga or Sweat? These are all classes sprinkled throughout the Bay Area that we participate in and find to be so important for our physical and mental well being.

Restaurants:

If you know us well, you know how much we love food.

Divan Restaurant located on Fourth Street in Berkeley is outstanding! Divan serves tasty Turkish food in an absolutely gorgeous space.
Daytrip Counter serves delicious rotisserie chicken, and savory salads, crisp fries and more!

Out in the Wild:

Some of our favorite walks/hikes include Claremont Canyon, The Dunn Trail, Lake Merritt and the Lafayette Reservoir. Or, how about a stroll up College Ave and through UC Berkeley campus with a stop at Yogurt Park along the way? You really can’t go wrong with any of these options!

Looking for some Creative Inspiration?

Mighty Mighty Studio is a beautiful studio and thoughtfully-curated workshop space--where you can learn from and collaborate with other artists via workshops, committed cohorts, events and gallery. This is a great place to post or participate!

Looking for an amazing community workshop space to deepen and expand your creative practice? Check out our friends' stunning new spot at The Beam Oakland

The Marsh Theater - enjoy a show, enroll in a workshop, volunteer, or maybe even test your talents as a Monday night performer.

If you try something new to you, please let us know; we would love to hear about it! Most importantly, we hope you take some time this fall for self-care, exploration and creativity.

Warmly,
Maria, Corey, Anita and Carla

AND NOW, BACK TO REAL ESTATE!

Our Recent Listings

2533 Rampart St in Oakland
**7 offers received, this home sold in less than 14 days**

Coming Soon

A fantastically charming home with an oversized, park-like backyard in the Rose Garden area of Oakland!
Captivating in Crocker Highlands! A wonderfully designed home with so much to offer.

Reach out for more details.

AUGUST 2026 WRAP-UP

The Inner East Bay single family home market entered September with strong momentum. August brought 15.8% fewer available homes than a year earlier, yet sales held steady and new contracts increased. Buyers continued to compete for limited inventory, supporting higher prices and keeping the median selling time at just two weeks.

Just 441 homes remained for sale at the end of August, while 241 homes closed during the month, unchanged from August 2025. Meanwhile, the number of homes going into contract rose 3.5% to 295, an encouraging indicator of continued activity heading into fall. Together, these figures suggest that limited selection, rather than a lack of interested buyers, remains a defining feature of the market.

Competition was particularly evident in the bidding numbers. More than four out of five homes, or 81.3%, sold above asking, a 16.0% relative increase from last year. Sellers received an average of 119.8% of list price, up 6.9% year over year. Strategic underpricing contributes to these figures, but alongside tighter inventory and faster sales, the increases point to sustained competition for desirable homes. The median time on market fell from 17 days to just 14, a nearly 18% reduction.

Prices reflected that strength. The median sales price increased 8.2% year over year to $1,202,000, while the median price per square foot rose 6.9% to $728. Although monthly price measures are influenced by the mix of homes sold, gains in both metrics provide a more convincing picture of pricing strength than either measure alone.

The broader economy also offered an encouraging signal: U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in August, unemployment held at 4.1%, and June and July employment gains were revised upward by a combined 55,000. That points to continued national economic resilience, a constructive backdrop for housing demand. Financing costs nevertheless remain a consideration, with Freddie Mac’s average 30 year fixed mortgage rate at 6.76% on September 10 and 6.95% on September 21, compared with 6.35% a year earlier.

Heading into fall, the Inner East Bay remains a market where thoughtful preparation and decisive action matter. Sellers have a favorable backdrop of limited supply and active buyers, while buyers can take confidence in a market demonstrating sustained demand. New September listings will be welcome additions, but August’s results suggest that well presented, appropriately priced homes will continue to attract strong interest.