Santa Cruz County Market Stats
Published
I track Santa Cruz County market conditions every week. The numbers below come from Altos Research for the week ending August 31, 2026, the most current data available.
Data from Altos Research, week ending August 31, 2026. Single-family homes. Sponsored by Padraic Collins, Stewart Title. Data deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Contact me for neighborhood-specific breakdowns.
What the numbers mean
Santa Cruz Median List Price at $1,448,000. Price Cuts Reach 40%
The Santa Cruz County median list price is $1,448,000, up $1,000 in a week. That is the third week running below the $1,499,000 band that held from early June into mid-August, so the step down two weeks ago has settled rather than reversed. Price per square foot is $730, down another $3 and the lowest figure of the year. Asking prices have found a slightly lower shelf and stayed on it.
Active single-family supply is 412, off 7 from last week but still above the July high of 411. Sellers listed heavily through August and buyers absorbed a small part of it. The number worth watching is price reductions, now 40% of listings. That is the largest share since spring, up from 33% in late July. Two out of five homes for sale in this county have already cut their asking price at least once.
Market Action Index Holds at 38 for a Seventh Week
Santa Cruz County reads 38 on the Market Action Index. Altos counts anything above 30 as a seller’s market and anything below 30 as a buyer’s market. At 38 the county stays on the seller side, the same reading it has carried since the third week of July.
The index weighs how quickly homes go under contract against how many are available. Seven weeks without movement, while supply grew by roughly 10 homes and price cuts climbed 7 points, says sales are still keeping up with new listings. Leverage has not changed hands. What has changed is how sellers get there, and a growing number reach a deal by reducing first.
Median Days on Market Steady at 70
Median days on market for active Santa Cruz County listings is 70 for a second week, after six weeks parked at 63. The measure covers every home currently for sale rather than those already closed, so it describes how long the standing pool has been waiting.
A home priced against recent comparable sales, in a location buyers want, still goes under contract inside about two weeks. The listings holding the median at 70 are the ones that came out high in spring and have not adjusted. With 40% of the county now cutting price, the cost of waiting is visible. If a property has been available past 30 days without an offer, the asking price is the first thing to look at.