Published · By Jeff Brick, 2026 SDMLS President
Quick answer: Your San Diego home is worth what a well-informed buyer will pay for it right now, and the best way to estimate that is a comparative market analysis (CMA) built from recent nearby sales, adjusted for your home’s condition, size, view and features, then checked against what is for sale and in escrow today. Online estimates are a starting point, not a price. In September 2026 the median San Diego house sold for $1,079,000, up 5.8% from a year earlier, but the median condo or townhome was flat at $670,000, so the “market” depends on what you own and where it sits.
This is general information, not an appraisal or legal, tax or financial advice. For a formal value, talk with a licensed appraiser, and confirm tax questions with your CPA.
Why your Zestimate and your neighbor’s sale never match
Every week a seller asks me some version of “Zillow says one number, Redfin says another, and my neighbor says a third. Which one is right?” The honest answer is that none of them has walked through your house. Zillow itself says its Zestimate “is not an appraisal and can’t be used in place of an appraisal.” Zillow has reported a nationwide median error of about 1.9% for homes that are actively listed, and its error is several times higher for homes that are not on the market, because the model has no list price, photos or recent upgrades to lean on.
That sounds small until you do the math. On a $1,079,000 San Diego house, every 1% is about $10,790, so a 1.9% miss is roughly $20,500. I dug into why the tools disagree in How to Read the Market: Why No Two Home Price Estimates Ever Agree. The short version: algorithms average; buyers compare.
How agents really price a San Diego home
A real home valuation is a CMA, and a good one is closer to detective work than to a calculator. Here is the process I use with sellers.
1. Pick the right comparable sales
The best comps are closed sales of the same property type, in the same micro-neighborhood, from the last 90 days or so, with similar size, lot, bedrooms and age. In San Diego, “nearby” can mean very different things: a canyon-rim lot in North Park and a house two blocks over on a busy street are not the same product. When there are not enough recent sales, I widen the time frame before I widen the map.
2. Adjust for what buyers actually pay for
Then I adjust each comp up or down for the differences that move price here: view, condition and updates, parking, outdoor space, and permitted extra living space. A permitted ADU, for example, can change both value and the buyer pool (see my ADU guide for San Diego). So can design. A documented Cliff May ranch or a historically designated home with a Mills Act contract attracts a different buyer than a generic remodel, which I cover in my modernist neighborhoods guide and historic homes market guide.
3. Study the competition, not just the history
Closed sales tell you what buyers paid one to three months ago. Active and pending listings tell you what your buyer will compare you to next weekend. If three similar homes are sitting unsold at your target price, the market is telling you something.
4. Read the market’s speed
Days on market, list-to-sale ratios and months of supply show whether buyers or sellers have the leverage. Those numbers look very different for houses and condos right now, as the next section shows.
5. Choose a pricing strategy
The CMA gives a value range. Strategy decides where in that range you list: at the market to draw the most buyers in the first two weeks, or slightly above it for a truly rare home. Strategy also has to account for buyers’ budgets, which are shaped by mortgage rates.
What the September 2026 numbers say about San Diego home values
Here is the local data I am using in valuations this fall, from the San Diego MLS market report published by SDAR (September 2026, data as of Oct. 5) and Redfin’s City of San Diego market page.
- Houses: median sales price $1,079,000, up 5.8% year over year; 37 days on market; sellers received 97.7% of original list price; inventory down 12.9% to 2,950 homes; 2.4 months of supply.
- Condos and townhomes: median $670,000, down 0.2%; 44 days on market; 97.2% of original list price; inventory up 5.8% to 2,734; 4.0 months of supply.
- City of San Diego, all homes: median sale price $979,034, up 3.4%; 28 median days on market; 99.0% sale-to-list ratio; 32.7% of homes sold above list, while 34.3% had a price drop.
- Fewer sales: the California Association of REALTORS® reported San Diego County sales down 12.2% from a year earlier in September, and statewide sales down 6.5%.
- Rates: Freddie Mac’s 30-year fixed average was 7.32% on Oct. 22, 2026, down from 7.40% the week before.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: upload chart-sd-houses-vs-condos-sept-2026.png here. Alt text: Bar chart, September 2026 vs. a year earlier: San Diego house prices up 5.8%, condo prices down 0.2%, houses for sale down 12.9%, condos for sale up 5.8%. Source: SDAR / San Diego MLS.
Put together, that is a two-speed market. Detached houses are still scarce, so a well-priced house can draw strong interest. Condos and townhomes have more competition and more time on market, so pricing needs to be sharper from day one.
The real cost of overpricing
The most expensive mistake I see is starting too high “to leave room.” Buyers and their agents see the same comps you do. When a home sits, it collects days on market and, often, a price cut. In the city of San Diego, 34.3% of homes had a price drop in September, and countywide, house sellers ended up with 97.7% of their original list price on average. On a $1,079,000 house, that 2.3% gap is about $24,800.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: upload chart-sd-city-pricing-snapshot-sept-2026.png here. Alt text: City of San Diego, September 2026: 28 median days on market, 99.0% sale-to-list ratio, 32.7% sold above list price, 34.3% had a price drop. Source: Redfin.
Rates matter too. At 7.32%, many buyers are shopping right at the edge of their approval. A price that is $25,000 too high can push your home out of their search filters entirely. If you want the bigger picture on cuts, read why more San Diego homes are seeing price cuts in 2026 and what 7%+ rates mean for buyers.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: upload chart-cost-of-pricing-miss-sd-2026.png here. Alt text: On a $1,079,000 San Diego house: every 1% of price is $10,790, a 1.9% online estimate miss is about $20,500, and 2.3% below original list is about $24,800.
A note for condo owners and landlords
With condo and townhome supply at 4.0 months versus 2.4 for houses, some owners are weighing whether to sell now or rent the unit out and sell later. That decision depends on your HOA’s rental rules, your loan, your taxes and the rent your specific unit can command, so it is worth running both scenarios side by side before you list.
Your home value checklist
- Treat online estimates as a range, not a number.
- Gather your upgrade list with dates and permits.
- Ask for a CMA that shows closed, pending and active comps.
- Look at days on market and price cuts for homes like yours.
- Price for the first two weeks, when buyer attention is highest.
Jeff’s take
As 2026 President of the San Diego Multiple Listing Service, I spend a lot of time with the same data that feeds every pricing tool. Here is what the numbers can’t do: they can’t smell the fresh paint, hear the freeway, or notice that your kitchen faces the canyon. That is where an agent earns the fee. My best valuations come from walking the home, pulling the right comps, and then being honest with you, even when the number is lower than the one you were hoping for. Price it right, market it beautifully, and buyers show up. Price it for your neighbor’s Zestimate, and you may end up chasing the market down.
Want a real number for your home?
I’m Jeff Brick, a San Diego REALTOR® at Compass (DRE# 02156850), 2026 President of the San Diego Multiple Listing Service, a 2024–2026 Board Director of the San Diego Association of REALTORS®, and the largest luxury apartment home leasing broker in Southern California. Start with my free home value estimate, or book a home selling consultation and I’ll prepare a custom CMA for your home. Call or text 858-324-4448. Million Dollar Service at All Price Points.
FAQ: What’s my San Diego home worth?
How accurate is a Zillow estimate in San Diego?
It’s a helpful starting point but not a price. Zillow says the Zestimate is not an appraisal, and its reported error is much larger for homes that are not listed for sale.
What is a CMA?
A comparative market analysis is an agent’s estimate of value based on recent comparable sales, adjusted for your home’s differences, plus active and pending competition.
Is a CMA the same as an appraisal?
No. An appraisal is a formal opinion of value by a licensed appraiser, usually ordered by a buyer’s lender. A CMA helps you set a list price.
What is the median home price in San Diego right now?
In September 2026, the San Diego MLS median was $1,079,000 for houses and $670,000 for condos and townhomes, according to SDAR’s market report.
Should I price above market to leave room to negotiate?
Usually not. Overpriced homes tend to sit and then get cut. In September, 34.3% of City of San Diego homes had a price drop, according to Redfin.
About the author: Jeff Brick is a San Diego REALTOR® at Compass (DRE# 02156850), 2026 President of the San Diego Multiple Listing Service, a 2024–2026 Board Director of the San Diego Association of REALTORS®, and the largest luxury apartment home leasing broker in Southern California.
