Published · Updated · By Jeff Brick, 2026 SDMLS President
Quick answer: Talmadge is a historic Mid-City San Diego neighborhood east of Kensington, built mostly between 1926 and the early 1950s and known for its ornamental entry gates, candlestick streetlights, canyon-rim streets and Spanish Colonial Revival homes. Talmadge home prices are holding firm: in ZIP 92115, single-family homes sold for a median of $921,500 in October 2026, up 9% from a year earlier (San Diego MLS), though homes are taking longer to sell than last fall. It fits buyers who want a true period home and a quiet street at an inland price, and it is less of a match if you want a walkable main street on your corner.
📍 Read my full Talmadge Neighborhood Guide: the silent film story behind the name, the Lichty brothers and Cliff May, the National Register historic district, schools, parks and my favorite local stops.
Talmadge home prices right now
Talmadge is mostly detached houses, so I lead with single-family numbers. These are October 2026 San Diego MLS figures for houses in ZIP 92115. One important caution: 92115 also covers the College Area and other blocks near SDSU, and part of Talmadge sits in 92116, so treat these as ZIP-level numbers rather than a Talmadge-only count. Homes inside the historic district often trade above the ZIP median.
- Median sale price: $921,500, up 9% from $845,000 in October 2025 (San Diego MLS, October 2026).
- Average price per square foot: $750, up 4% from $718.
- Homes sold: 18, down from 22. New listings: 37, up from 34.
- Median days on market: 31, up from 19.
- Share of list price received: 99%, down from 100%.
- Months of inventory: 2.7, up from 2.0.
How I read it: prices are still rising, but the pace of the market has cooled. More new listings, fewer closings and nearly three months of supply put 92115 in fairly balanced territory. Homes that are priced right still sell close to asking. Homes that are priced on hope sit, and buyers notice. With 18 sales, this is a modest sample, so I watch the trend over several months rather than reading too much into one.
Redfin’s Talmadge-only page lines up with that picture. It puts the Talmadge median sale price at $969,532 in August 2026, up 14.2% year over year, with 23 homes sold, a median of 34 days on market and a 101.3% sale-to-list ratio. Across all of ZIP 92115 and all home types, including condos, Redfin reports an August 2026 median of $841,136, down 0.52% from a year earlier, with homes selling in a median of 41 days at 98.8% of list. The takeaway: Talmadge houses hold a premium over the wider ZIP, and buyers today have a little more time to decide than they did a year ago.
What a Talmadge payment looks like
Freddie Mac’s weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.18% for the week of November 5, 2026, down from 7.24% a week earlier. On a $921,500 home with 20% down ($184,300), a $737,200 loan at 7.18% works out to about $4,990 a month in principal and interest, before property taxes, insurance and the neighborhood maintenance assessment. Your own rate will depend on your loan and credit, so get quotes early. This is general information, not financial advice.
What’s selling: homes and architecture in Talmadge
Walking Talmadge feels like flipping through a quarter century of Southern California home design. The late 1920s gave the neighborhood its stucco-and-red-tile Spanish Colonial Revival houses with arched windows. When building picked back up after 1935, compact Minimal Traditional homes shaped by Federal Housing Administration standards took over, and a few carry Streamline Moderne details. Mixed in are Tudor Revival and Colonial Revival houses, plus early California Ranch homes, including work by a young Cliff May. Streets curve along the canyon edges, so many lots come with slopes or views.
The Talmadge Park Estates Historic District joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2024, and the gates are a City-designated historic corridor. For buyers, that means two things. Exterior changes to designated homes can involve historic review, and designated homes may qualify for a Mills Act contract that can lower property taxes. My Mills Act explainer and historic homes market guide go deeper. On a house nearing its 100th birthday, I plan for a sewer scope, an electrical review and a foundation look, and canyon-edge lots call for a slope and fire hazard check; my approved vendors list is a good place to find inspectors and insurance help.
Who Talmadge fits, and who it doesn’t
Talmadge is a great match if you love original architecture, want a calm street where neighbors still throw a block party and a Fourth of July parade, and like being central: Mission Valley, SDSU, Kensington and Downtown are all a short drive. It scores 74 on Walk Score, “Very Walkable”, with most shops on El Cajon Boulevard to the south. It is a warm, welcoming place for LGBTQ+ buyers and every kind of family, with Hillcrest and North Park a short drive west.
It may not be the right fit if you want a lively village main street steps from your door, a brand-new house with no design review, or a big garage; many 1920s lots have tight driveways or detached garages, and street parking is common.
A quick note for buyers, sellers and investors
- Buyers: With 31 median days on market and 2.7 months of supply, you have more room to negotiate repairs or credits than last year. Ask me to check historic status, Mills Act history, the fire hazard map and the Talmadge Maintenance Assessment District on day one. First-time buyers can start with my first-time buyer neighborhood guide.
- Sellers: Prices are up 9%, but buyers are patient. Pricing right from day one matters more than it did a year ago. My pre-sale fix list helps, and a free home value estimate shows where you stand.
- Investors: The historic core is mostly owner-occupied single-family, while apartment buildings cluster toward El Cajon Boulevard. Check zoning, state tenant protections and the City’s licensed short-term rental limits before you buy; my duplex numbers guide walks through the math. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Talmadge vs. Kensington and North Park
Using the same October 2026 San Diego MLS single-family data, ZIP 92116, home to Kensington, had a median of $1,360,000, and ZIP 92104, North Park, came in at $1,200,000. That gap is the Talmadge opportunity: similar 1920s roots and canyon-rim setting, for hundreds of thousands less at the ZIP level. Kensington shares Talmadge’s planning area and adds the Adams Avenue village with its shops and the Ken Cinema; my Kensington market spotlight has its numbers. North Park trades quiet streets for a busier restaurant and craft beer scene, covered in my Living in North Park post. If you want a walkable strip with more character, Normal Heights is worth a look too.
Jeff’s take
I’ve sold and leased a lot of homes in Talmadge, and it is still one of the best values in Mid-City for people who love history. This fall the market has shifted from frantic to thoughtful: prices are up, but buyers are taking their time, and that gives prepared buyers real leverage. For sellers, the homes that win are the ones with clean inspections, honest pricing and great photos of those tile roofs and canyon views. As a San Diego REALTOR® at Compass, 2026 President of the San Diego Multiple Listing Service, a 2024–2026 Board Director of the San Diego Association of REALTORS®, and a Southern California luxury apartment home leasing broker, I’m in Mid-City every week. Million Dollar Service at All Price Points means the same care for a 1928 Spanish Revival in the district as for a first Minimal Traditional starter home.
Thinking about Talmadge?
Call or text me at 858-324-4448. Buying? Book a free home buying consultation. Own in Talmadge? Get a free home value estimate based on current comps. Before you tour, read my full Talmadge Neighborhood Guide, or explore all of my San Diego neighborhood guides.
Talmadge home prices FAQ
What is the median home price in Talmadge, San Diego?
In ZIP 92115, which includes Talmadge and the College Area, the median single-family sale price was $921,500 in October 2026, up 9% from a year earlier, according to the San Diego MLS. Redfin’s Talmadge-only median was $969,532 in August 2026.
How fast are homes selling in Talmadge?
More slowly than last year. Single-family homes in 92115 sold in a median of 31 days in October 2026, up from 19 a year earlier, at 99% of list price on average.
Is Talmadge a buyer’s or seller’s market?
Fairly balanced. With 2.7 months of inventory in 92115 in October 2026, well-priced homes still sell, while overpriced homes sit and buyers can often negotiate.
What kinds of homes are in Talmadge?
Mostly single-family homes from 1926 to the early 1950s: Spanish Colonial Revival, Minimal Traditional, early California Ranch, and some Tudor Revival and Colonial Revival houses, with apartment buildings closer to El Cajon Boulevard.
Is Talmadge a historic district?
Much of it is. The Talmadge Park Estates Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2024, and the entry gates are a City-designated historic corridor. Designated homes may qualify for the Mills Act.
Market figures are the latest available on November 7, 2026. San Diego MLS figures are ZIP-level for all of 92115 (and 92116 and 92104 for comparisons), not Talmadge-only. General information only, not legal, tax or financial advice.
