Welcome to Time to Buy or Sell by Weichert, Realtors, Sierra Pacific Group.
Today, we're diving into the latest trends in the Citrus Heights housing market. We'll look at what they mean for both buyers and sellers, heading into the end of the year.
Seems like the market in Sacramento County, especially Citrus Heights, is in a really interesting spot right now, almost like a tug of war.
That’s a great way to put it. Yeah, a real tug of war. We're definitely seeing signs of normalization, things cooling off a bit.
But the underlying demand, especially in certain segments, it keeps things moving surprisingly fast. It's tricky.
Okay, let's try and unpack that then. Starting with the big number everyone looks at, prices. The median sale price for single-family homes, it's sitting around $463,000.
That’s based on September 2025 data.
Correct, around 463k. And yeah, on the surface, that looks like a small dip, maybe one and a half percent down from last year.
Just 1.5%, so like a minor correction, not a big drop.
Exactly. But here’s the important context, the part you need to dig into. While it’s only slightly down year over year, prices have actually cooled quite a bit more, maybe 7–8% from the peak we saw back in the spring.
Ah, okay, so down from the low $500,000 then.
Precisely. We’ve given back some of those really rapid gains, but, and this is key, values are still way up, like 50% plus compared to before the pandemic. So normalizing, yes.
Crashing, no.
Got it. So, a bit softer, which usually means maybe better news for buyers. Is inventory helping them out?
Well, inventory is up, no question. We hit, I think it was 199 active single-family listings in late September.
199, wow, that does sound like a lot more choice. Highest in several years.
It is the highest in quite a while. But here’s where that tug of war feeling comes back in. Even with more listings, when you calculate the months of supply, how long it would take to sell everything currently listed, we’re still only at about two to three months.
Okay, and a balanced market is more like five or six months, right?
Exactly. So yes, buyers see more homes for sale, which is good. But the overall supply is still technically low.
It’s low but improving, let’s say.
Which probably explains why homes are still selling relatively quickly, the median days on market.
It’s 26 days right now.
26 days. Okay, that’s slower than the absolute frenzy last year, maybe it was 19 days then.
Yeah, up from 19 days a year ago. So things are taking a bit longer.
But wait, 26 days? Isn’t that still pretty fast compared to the wider area?
That’s the surprising part. It’s actually a full 10 days faster than the average for all of Sacramento County, which is hovering around 35 days.
10 days faster. So Citrus Heights is still outperforming the county average pace-wise.
Absolutely. And that speed, it really points to strong demand, especially for more affordable entry-level homes.
Okay, this is where it gets interesting. Let’s connect some dots you mentioned earlier. Prices are slightly down year over year, but you said something about price per square foot.
Yes. This is probably the most telling metric right now. While the overall median price dipped 1.5%, the average price per square foot is actually up, significantly up, by 8.0% year over year.
Up 8% per square foot, but down 1.5% overall. How does that work?
It tells us what is selling. Buyers, likely squeezed by higher interest rates, are prioritizing smaller homes. They need to keep that total purchase price manageable, probably under that $500K mark.
So smaller, well-maintained homes that are priced right, they’re performing really, really well, they’re pushing that per-square-foot value up.
Uh, that makes sense. So for buyers who are ready, this sounds like maybe a narrow window of opportunity. More listings, slightly softer prices.
I think so. And sellers seem to recognize this shift too. Receiving more flexibility, the data shows about 44% of sellers in the region are offering concessions now.
Concessions like help with closing costs or something else.
Closing costs are common, yeah. But increasingly, we’re seeing rate buy-downs. That’s where the seller pays a lump sum at closing to effectively lower the buyer’s interest rate for the first year or two.
Oh, wow. That could make a huge difference in the monthly payment, especially with current rates.
A massive difference. It directly tackles that affordability challenge.
And speaking of affordability, that seems to be a big part of the Citrus Heights appeal, right? Especially compared to nearby areas.
It’s a huge driver. You look at Citrus Heights with its median around 463K. Then you look next door, basically.
Roseville is up around 642K. Fair Oaks is maybe 613K.
That’s a difference of like $150,000 or more. That’s substantial.
It really is. That price gap makes Citrus Heights a very feasible, attractive alternative for many buyers, especially first-timers. It keeps that demand engine running.
Okay, so flipping back to sellers. The market still leans slightly their way because supply is limited, but the days of just naming your price are gone.
Definitely gone. That 26-day median selling time, that applies if you price it correctly and the home shows well. We still see about 45% of listings getting multiple offers if they hit that sweet spot.
But if you overprice.
You’ll sit. And those days on market will climb quickly. That erodes your negotiating leverage fast.
So pricing strategy and presentation are absolutely critical now.
OK, so let’s summarize. The market’s normalizing, kind of finding its balance, still a bit seller-favored due to inventory, but buyers have gained real negotiating power. Softening, not crashing.
That’s the consensus. Yeah, softening, rebalancing.
So the key takeaway for buyers.
Be prepared. Get that pre-approval locked in so you can move fast when you see the right opportunity and don’t be afraid to negotiate, especially on concessions.
And for sellers.
Price it right from the start. Don’t chase yesterday’s market. Homes that are presented well and priced competitively are still moving quickly.
That 26-day median proves it.
Great advice. So if you are thinking about buying or selling in Citrus Heights, a good next step is to visit wrspg.com. You’ll find the latest listings there, lots of neighborhood insights and full market updates.
And of course, you can always reach out to our team directly for a personal consultation to discuss your specific situation.
Thanks for listening to Time to Buy or Sell by Weichert, Realtors Sierra Pacific Group. Be sure to subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss our next deep dive as we continue exploring real estate across the Greater Sacramento area.