For the last few years, the housing market has favored sellers due to low inventory and high demand. Between bidding wars, high interest rates and limited viable options, many homebuyers have been waiting on the sidelines for things to turn around, which isn’t happening in many regions yet.
As homebuyers continue to navigate a tough time across much of the country, Lauren Hurwitz, a licensed realtor from Westchester County, New York, affirms that “it is still very much a seller’s market” in her area. But things are different in California.
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Four cities are shifting towards a more buyer-friendly market, and Realtor.com crunched the numbers exclusively for GOBankingRates to find out which metros are poised to give buyers a break, and they’re all surprisingly in the Golden State.
“Realtor.com constructed a ranking metric based on inventory growth year over year (ranked highest to lowest), price per square foot growth year over year (ranked lowest to highest), and time on market year over year (ranked highest to lowest),” said Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com.
This data helped determine where prices are dropping and areas that are selling more slowly.
“It turns out this is totally a California story!” Berner said. “Two high-dollar California metros and two relatively affordable California metros landed in the top four of our buyer-friendliness score,” he explained.
The rebound in for-sale home inventory has been strongest in the West region this year, and these four California cities are helping to drive that growth in the number of homes on the market.
San Diego: The Coastal Buyer’s Dream in 2026
- Buyer Friendly: 86.9
- Median listing price: $987,500
- Inventory year-over-year (YoY): 39.5%
- Price per square foot YoY: -3.6%
- Days on market YoY: 27.4%
Known for its beautiful beaches and laid-back California vibe, San Diego, which includes Chula Vista and Carlsbad in Realtor.com’s research, is one of the most desirable locations in the state and now could be the time to make a seaside lifestyle happen.
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Stockton: Affordable Housing Just Outside San Francisco
- Buyer friendliness score: 81.1
- Median listing price: $595,000
- Inventory YoY: 52.7%
- Price per square foot YoY: -1.8%
- Days on market YoY: 17.6%
Located about 80 miles from San Francisco, Stockton offers good schools, a rising arts scene, a thriving job market, and more. Housing is more affordable and it’s less crowded than its nearby major cities, but still in close proximity to commute to the Bay Area.
Oxnard: A New Hope for Homebuyers Near Los Angeles
- Buyer friendliness score: 79.8
- Median listing price: $1,012,500
- Inventory YoY: 53.9%
- Price per square foot YoY: -1.2%
- Days on market YoY: 22%
Situated an hour north of Los Angeles, and a short drive from the beautiful wineries in Santa Ynez Valley and Paso Robles, Oxnard is the ideal blend of natural beauty with endless amenities.
Sacramento: California’s Affordable Capital City
- Buyer friendliness score: 78.9
- Median listing price: $625,000
- Inventory YoY: 35.6%
- Price per square foot YoY: -2.6%
- Days on market YoY: 24.7%
Sacramento, California’s state capital, is the perfect mix of history, fun and affordability, per The Sacramento Bee. It might not get the attention that Los Angeles or San Francisco receive, but it has its own qualities that make it special, like a lively arts scene, a foodie’s paradise and more.
“With supply growing at the same time that demand is stalling due to still-high mortgage rates, prices are falling and the pace of sales is slowing down,” Berner said. “We expect fewer bidding wars and better deals for buyers in these metros if current trends continue.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 4 Cities Where Homebuyers May Finally Have the Upper Hand In 2026
