Santa Cruz County Market Stats
Published
I track Santa Cruz County market conditions every week. The numbers below are pulled from Altos Research for the week ending June 3, 2026, the most current data available.
Data from Altos Research, week ending June 3, 2026. Single-family homes. Sponsored by Padraic Collins, Stewart Title. Data deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Contact Walter for neighborhood-specific breakdowns.
What the numbers mean
Santa Cruz Median List Price Climbs to $1,512,500. Inventory Holds at 386
The Santa Cruz County median list price is $1,512,500 this week, a new high for the year. Active single-family inventory sits at 386 homes, about even with last week’s 385 and well above where the spring started. Buyers have a wider field to pick from than they did in March.
A third of active listings now carry a reduction. Sellers who set their number for last summer are moving back toward current value. If you are buying, the room to negotiate has arrived. If you are selling, match the comps that are live today, not what a neighbor closed in 2024.
Market Action Index at 38. Still a Seller’s Market
The Market Action Index reads 38 for Santa Cruz County. Altos counts anything above 30 as a seller’s market and anything below 30 as a buyer’s market. We have held over that line all year, though the figure has eased from the low 40s earlier in the spring.
The index weighs sales pace against available supply. When listings build faster than homes go under contract, the number drifts lower. That is the pattern since March. The shift is mild, but it has run one direction for three months. The next two readings will show whether it stays in the upper 30s or slides toward the threshold.
Median Days on Market at 49. Listings Are Sitting Longer
Median days on market for active Santa Cruz County listings is 49, up from 42 last week. Half of the homes for sale have been posted longer than that. A year ago the typical home went under contract closer to the four-week mark. The higher count reflects the larger pool of inventory, not soft demand.
A well-prepared house in a strong location still goes under contract in two weeks or less. The 49-day median gets pulled up by listings that are stale, overpriced, or in harder micromarkets. If your home has sat a month with no offers, the data points at the asking price.