How long does it take to sell a house in California?
The two-speed market
- 34.2% of California homes go under contract within two weeks of listing.
- About 19.6% take more than 90 days — and the long tail is almost always an overpricing story (see what a price cut costs).
- Our count is relist-proof: about 1 in 12 California sales delisted and relisted before selling, and the clock keeps running through it.
Fastest and slowest markets
Median days to an accepted offer for every California city with at least 400 sales in the last 12 months, fastest first.
| City | Sales | Median days | Under contract ≤ 2 weeks | Still unsold at 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria | 505 | 12 days | 54.3% | 8.5% |
| Garden Grove | 577 | 14 days | 50.4% | 9% |
| Lakewood | 450 | 14 days | 51.3% | 8.4% |
| Torrance | 909 | 15 days | 49% | 9.5% |
| Fullerton | 751 | 16 days | 48.2% | 11.9% |
| West Covina | 446 | 16 days | 46.2% | 11% |
| Anaheim | 1,073 | 18 days | 42.6% | 13% |
| Whittier | 822 | 19 days | 43.4% | 12.9% |
| Yorba Linda | 619 | 20 days | 42.8% | 13.4% |
| Glendale | 587 | 20 days | 41.2% | 12.4% |
| Costa Mesa | 523 | 20 days | 45.9% | 11.7% |
| Rialto | 506 | 20 days | 41.3% | 12.5% |
| Huntington Beach | 1,387 | 21 days | 41.5% | 15.7% |
| Chico | 890 | 21 days | 41.9% | 15.2% |
| Mission Viejo | 882 | 21 days | 41.4% | 12.6% |
| Orange | 871 | 21 days | 43.5% | 11.6% |
| Redondo Beach | 595 | 21 days | 40.2% | 17% |
| Chino Hills | 488 | 21 days | 39.1% | 13.3% |
| Yucaipa | 423 | 21 days | 41.1% | 16.5% |
| Tustin | 417 | 21 days | 41.2% | 11.3% |
| San Luis Obispo | 456 | 22 days | 42.1% | 18% |
| Eastvale | 415 | 22 days | 40% | 17.3% |
| Moreno Valley | 1,166 | 23 days | 37% | 12.2% |
| San Clemente | 611 | 23 days | 40.6% | 17.5% |
| Upland | 553 | 23 days | 37.3% | 15.2% |
| Jurupa Valley | 542 | 23 days | 38.7% | 15.1% |
| Laguna Niguel | 638 | 24 days | 38.7% | 17.1% |
| Santa Ana | 851 | 25 days | 36.3% | 16.5% |
| Lake Forest | 735 | 25 days | 37.7% | 15.1% |
| Long Beach | 2,383 | 26 days | 37.2% | 17.5% |
| Fontana | 1,149 | 26 days | 35.5% | 13.8% |
| Burbank | 472 | 26 days | 36.9% | 16.3% |
| Rancho Santa Margarita | 462 | 26 days | 36.1% | 16.7% |
| San Bernardino | 1,243 | 27 days | 33.8% | 17.1% |
| Pasadena | 976 | 27 days | 35.9% | 16.1% |
| Perris | 659 | 27 days | 36.3% | 16.8% |
| Arcadia | 466 | 27 days | 31.8% | 19.5% |
| Seal Beach | 451 | 27 days | 35.3% | 14.9% |
| Riverside | 2,311 | 28 days | 34.9% | 17.7% |
| Rancho Cucamonga | 1,078 | 28 days | 35.7% | 15.1% |
| Bakersfield | 823 | 29 days | 31.1% | 15.6% |
| Oxnard | 711 | 29 days | 33.9% | 19.8% |
| Chino | 658 | 29 days | 30.4% | 19.8% |
| Woodland Hills | 481 | 29 days | 34.3% | 21% |
| Simi Valley | 404 | 29 days | 32.2% | 17.1% |
| Camarillo | 586 | 30 days | 33.4% | 20.1% |
| Paso Robles | 547 | 30 days | 36.2% | 20.5% |
| Ontario | 1,180 | 31 days | 30.5% | 16.4% |
| Ventura | 706 | 31 days | 31.6% | 20.7% |
| Compton | 424 | 31 days | 31.6% | 19.6% |
| Menifee | 1,555 | 32 days | 31.7% | 19.9% |
| Victorville | 1,234 | 32 days | 30.1% | 21.7% |
| Temecula | 1,121 | 32 days | 33.6% | 18.8% |
| Merced | 766 | 32 days | 29% | 19.3% |
| Redlands | 621 | 32 days | 33.7% | 19.8% |
| San Pedro | 490 | 32 days | 35.3% | 19% |
| Saugus | 465 | 32 days | 31.8% | 21.3% |
| Corona | 1,415 | 33 days | 30.9% | 20.4% |
| Hemet | 1,329 | 33 days | 28.4% | 21.4% |
| Palmdale | 977 | 33 days | 27.1% | 22.5% |
| Winchester | 676 | 33 days | 29.1% | 15.5% |
| Canyon Country | 497 | 33 days | 29% | 19.7% |
| Beaumont | 635 | 34 days | 31% | 20.8% |
| Pomona | 568 | 34 days | 31.3% | 20.8% |
| Laguna Woods | 559 | 34 days | 32.2% | 21.5% |
| San Jacinto | 540 | 34 days | 28.9% | 23.1% |
| Murrieta | 1,319 | 35 days | 30.5% | 20.4% |
| Lancaster | 1,298 | 35 days | 27.3% | 22% |
| Valencia | 800 | 35 days | 30.3% | 21.4% |
| Lake Elsinore | 796 | 35 days | 27.8% | 21.4% |
| Irvine | 1,938 | 36 days | 27.6% | 21.8% |
| Hesperia | 988 | 36 days | 29.7% | 19.5% |
| Banning | 495 | 38 days | 28.5% | 27.7% |
| Oroville | 440 | 40 days | 28.6% | 28.2% |
| Newport Beach | 607 | 41 days | 31.3% | 29.8% |
| Los Angeles | 3,397 | 42 days | 24.5% | 27.3% |
| Apple Valley | 1,066 | 43 days | 25.3% | 26.2% |
| Lake Arrowhead | 486 | 78 days | 16.5% | 45.5% |
City links go to that city's agent directory.
What actually determines your timeline
- Your original list price. The 14-versus-76-day split above dwarfs every other factor. Start with how to price your home.
- Your agent's pricing record. Ranked agents who rarely cut price average 40 days on market at 102.8% of list; agents who often cut average 79 days at 97.8%. It's on every profile, and in the fewest-price-cuts rankings.
- When you list. June listings go under contract in a median 17 days; December listings take 32. Details in the best month to sell.
- Price band and city — real, but smaller than the three above. See days on market by price range.
Methodology
Recorded California residential sales closed in the trailing 12 months (n=105,811). Days are cumulative days on market to the accepted offer — relisting does not reset the count. Zero-market-time (off-market) sales are excluded from time statistics. Medians; sales under $50K and over $20M excluded. Details: how this site works.
Keep reading
How to Price Your Home to Sell Fast (and for More)
A data-backed method for setting your list price: what priced-right homes have in common, why small cuts don’t fix big misses, and the three-week rule.
The $48,000 Mistake: What a Price Cut Costs a California Seller
Closed-sale data on what a price cut really costs California sellers — how much longer cut homes take, how far below asking they close, city by city.
The Best Month to Sell a House in California, From 330,000 Sales
Month-by-month closed-sale outcomes — days to offer, price-cut rates, and sale-to-ask — showing when California listings do best.
Skip the guesswork
See agents with a proven fast-sale record in your city — free, based on closed sales.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to sell a house in California in 2026?
The median California home goes under contract in 29 days. But price matters more than market: homes priced right from day one take a median 14 days, while homes that need a price cut take 76. Closing adds roughly 30–40 days of escrow after the offer.
What percentage of homes sell in the first two weeks?
34.2% of California homes go under contract within two weeks of listing. Among homes priced right from day one (no price cut), it's 50.3%.
Why is my house taking so long to sell?
About 19.6% of California sales take more than 90 days, and the long tail is overwhelmingly an overpricing story: homes that eventually cut their price took a median 76 days versus 14 for homes that didn't need to. If you're past three or four weeks without an offer, the price is the first thing to revisit.
Do days-on-market numbers reset when a home is relisted?
On many sites, yes — which flatters slow listings. Our counts are cumulative: about 1 in 12 California sales delisted and relisted before selling, and the clock keeps running through it.