The newest published county figures cover August 2026. Alameda County’s median single-family home price was $1,285,000 and Contra Costa County’s was $875,000. Alameda edged up from July, Contra Costa held flat, and both sit above last August (California Association of REALTORS®, August 2026 Home Sales and Price Report, released September 16, 2026).
Prices held. Sales didn’t. Both counties closed noticeably fewer homes than in July, and mortgage rates climbed in September. If you’re timing a move this fall, those are the three things worth watching.
Key Takeaways
– In August 2026, Alameda County’s median was $1,285,000, up 0.8% from July and 1.3% year over year. Contra Costa County’s was $875,000, flat from July and up 2.9% year over year (C.A.R., August 2026 report, released September 16, 2026).
– Sales fell 14.3% from July in Alameda and 10.3% in Contra Costa. Year over year, Alameda sales were down 8.8% and Contra Costa’s 4.1%, while statewide sales were up 1.4% (C.A.R., August 2026 report).
– Supply loosened slightly. The Bay Area had 2.6 months of unsold inventory in August, up from 2.3 in July and still well below the statewide 3.7 (C.A.R., August 2026 report).
– The 30-year fixed averaged 6.95% for the week of September 17, 2026, up from 6.76% the week before and 6.26% a year earlier (Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey).
– C.A.R. doesn’t publish a Tri-Valley median. The region spans two counties, so the nearest figures in C.A.R.’s monthly report are the Alameda and Contra Costa county medians. Ask for figures for your city and price band instead.
Which Month of Data Is Published Right Now?
As of September 21, 2026, the most recent month with published county-level figures is August 2026. The California Association of REALTORS® released it on September 16, 2026, and county figures run about a month behind: July’s came out on August 17 and August’s on September 16. No September county figures have been published yet.
The lag matters. When a site quotes you a “current” median in September, it is often the prior month’s data wearing a September label, or an automated estimate that no association published at all. We put the date on the number so you know which month you are reading.
Why Doesn’t C.A.R. Publish a “Tri-Valley Median”?
The Tri-Valley isn’t one of the areas C.A.R. reports on. Its monthly report gives medians for the state, for regions such as the San Francisco Bay Area, and for individual counties, and the Tri-Valley straddles a county line: Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin sit in Alameda County, and San Ramon and Danville sit in Contra Costa County. C.A.R.’s tables have no Tri-Valley row.
So when you see a “Tri-Valley median” quoted somewhere, it’s usually one county standing in for all five, or a blend somebody computed themselves. In August 2026 the gap between the two counties was $410,000 at the median ($1,285,000 in Alameda versus $875,000 in Contra Costa, per C.A.R.). Averaging across that spread produces a number that describes neither county’s market particularly well.
A figure with a county attached to it is worth more to you than a blended number you can’t trace to a source.
What Changed Since the August Update?
In our August 2026 Tri-Valley market update we described a market that was competitive but calmer than midsummer. Two county reports have come out since, and they put numbers to that.
July was the softer month: both county medians fell from June (C.A.R., July 2026 report, released August 17, 2026). August steadied. Alameda’s median rose 0.8% to $1,285,000 and Contra Costa’s held at $875,000 (C.A.R., August 2026 report).
What kept falling was volume. Alameda County sales were down 14.3% from July and Contra Costa’s were down 10.3%, close to the Bay Area’s 12.1% drop. C.A.R. doesn’t seasonally adjust county sales, so the fairer comparison is the year: Alameda sales were down 8.8% from August 2025 and Contra Costa’s 4.1%, while statewide sales were up 1.4% (C.A.R., August 2026 report).
The inventory measure moved the other way. The Bay Area’s unsold inventory index rose from 2.3 months in July to 2.6 in August, and statewide it reached 3.7 months, its highest level in six months (C.A.R., August 2026 report). That isn’t a bigger selection: statewide active listings slipped 1.6% from July and were down 6.2% from a year earlier, and C.A.R. reads the higher index alongside fewer listings as softer demand (C.A.R., August 2026 report). Homes are taking longer in places, and prices haven’t cracked.
Worth watching heading into fall: the spread between a home’s original list price and its final sale price. A widening spread across a neighborhood can mean sellers priced for spring and are having to come down to sell. A countywide median won’t show it.
How’s the Alameda County Side: Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin?
Alameda County’s median was $1,285,000 in August 2026, up 0.8% from $1,275,000 in July and up 1.3% from $1,269,000 in August 2025 (C.A.R., August 2026 report). Sales volume was down 14.3% from July and 8.8% from a year earlier.
The homes that did sell went quickly. Median time on market in Alameda was 14 days in August, compared with 15 in July, and the county had 2.3 months of unsold inventory, up from 2.0 (C.A.R., August 2026 report). Fewer sales, but not slower ones.
A $10,000 move in a county median doesn’t mean every Livermore or Dublin home gained $10,000. Medians shift when the mix of what sold changes. A month with more sales at the top end pulls the median up even if no individual home gained a dollar. That’s why pricing should start from comparable sales on your street, not the county line.
For one city in particular, see our guide to Livermore home values in 2026, or browse Pleasanton listings and neighborhood details and Dublin homes and community information.
How’s the Contra Costa Side: San Ramon and Danville?
Contra Costa County’s median was $875,000 in August 2026, unchanged from July and up 2.9% from $850,000 in August 2025 (C.A.R., August 2026 report). Sales fell 10.3% from July and 4.1% from a year earlier.
Homes there took longer to sell. Median time on market rose to 20 days from 15 in July, and unsold inventory edged up to 2.7 months from 2.6 (C.A.R., August 2026 report). That’s the clearest sign of cooling anywhere in the two counties’ numbers.
The county’s own association published a different median for the same month. The Contra Costa Association of REALTORS® reported $790,000 for August, down 1.9% from July, along with 783 closed sales (down 6.2%), 21 days on market and a 100.64% sold-to-list price ratio (CCAR Broker Brief 1.5, September 2026 issue, reporting August 2026 MLS data). That is $85,000 below the C.A.R. figure.
Neither number is wrong. C.A.R.’s county series covers existing single-family detached homes only, drawn from a survey of more than 90 associations of REALTORS® across the state. The association’s report counts single-family homes plus condos, townhouses and apartments (CCAR, Contra Costa County market activity report, August 2026).
Before you accept any median, ask what it counted. Condos and townhomes in the mix pull a countywide figure down; a detached-only series reads higher. Browse San Ramon homes and neighborhood information or Danville homes and community details, then ask us for the slice that matches what you’re buying or selling.
That 100.64% sold-to-list ratio is worth a second look. It’s down from 101.3% in July (CCAR Broker Brief 1.4, August 2026 issue), but a countywide ratio above 100% still means sale prices, taken together, came in slightly above asking.
What Are Mortgage Rates Doing Right Now?
Rates jumped in September. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.95% for the week of September 17, 2026, up from 6.76% the prior week and from 6.26% at the same point in 2025 (Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey). The 15-year fixed averaged 6.26%, compared with 5.41% a year ago.
For reference, the 30-year averaged 6.67% during August, the month the price data above describes (C.A.R., August 2026 report). So a buyer shopping today is borrowing at a noticeably higher rate than the buyers who set August’s closing prices.
Run the payment before you fall for a house. A rate move of a quarter point changes what you qualify for more than most people expect. Our walkthrough on how much house you can afford in the Tri-Valley shows the math, and if you’re buying your first home, California down payment assistance programs may change the picture.
What This Means If You’re Buying This Fall
You have a bit more room than you did this summer. Sales are down in both counties, Contra Costa homes are sitting longer, and Bay Area inventory is up to 2.6 months (C.A.R., August 2026 report). By California standards it’s still a tight market, with the statewide figure at 3.7 months, so don’t expect a buyer’s market.
Rates are the part working against you. At 6.95% (Freddie Mac, week of September 17, 2026), the same monthly payment buys less house than it did in August.
A few things to do now:
- Get fully underwritten instead of just pre-qualified. With rates moving this much week to week, a full underwrite tells you what you can actually spend today.
- Target the listings that have been sitting. Homes that launched in the spring and never re-priced are where the negotiating room is.
- Verify school assignment yourself. District boundaries in the Tri-Valley don’t always follow city lines, so confirm any address with the district office (Livermore Valley Joint Unified, Pleasanton Unified, Dublin Unified or San Ramon Valley Unified) rather than a listing remark or a third-party map.
What This Means If You’re Selling This Fall
Price to the August data, not to the spring you remember. Medians have held, but fewer homes are selling, and in Contra Costa they’re taking longer to do it (C.A.R., August 2026 report). A launch price built on a May comp will sit.
The counterweight: Contra Costa’s countywide sold-to-list price ratio was still 100.64% in August (CCAR Broker Brief 1.5, September 2026 issue), so sale prices overall were still landing slightly above list. The season is not the risk. The risk is launching high and then cutting your way down.
If you tried the market earlier this year and pulled back, our piece on signs it’s time to sell your Tri-Valley home is worth a second read.
Start from a real number for your specific address: request a free, no-obligation home valuation.
Why Work With the Mony Nop Real Estate Team?
A county median mixes sales from across the whole county, most of them nothing like your home. Pricing one address takes someone who has walked the comparable sales on your street.
Mony Nop served Livermore as a police officer for 17 years and has held a California real estate license (DRE #01813021) since 2007. He holds a B.S. in Business Management from St. Mary’s College, and in 2017 the National Association of REALTORS® named him a Good Neighbor Awards honorable mention for his work with the Mony Nop Foundation. Ask him how many sales the team has handled in your neighborhood.
He twice ran for Mayor of Livermore, belongs to the Rotary Club of Livermore Valley, co-founded the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance and founded the Mony Nop Foundation. The team, including Sophie Mao, Loan Nguyen and Danielle Merrigan, serves clients in English, Khmer, Thai and Vietnamese from the office at 144 S. K Street in Livermore.
Want numbers for your own street? Get in touch with the team.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most recent Tri-Valley market data available in September 2026?
As of September 21, 2026, the newest published county figures cover August 2026, released by the California Association of REALTORS® on September 16, 2026. County figures run about a month behind: August’s were released September 16.
What was the median home price in the Tri-Valley in August 2026?
C.A.R. doesn’t publish a Tri-Valley median. The region spans two counties, so the nearest figures in C.A.R.’s monthly report are the county medians. In August 2026, Alameda County’s median single-family price was $1,285,000 and Contra Costa County’s was $875,000 (California Association of REALTORS®, released September 16, 2026). Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin are in Alameda; San Ramon and Danville are in Contra Costa.
Are Tri-Valley home prices going up or down?
Holding steady. In August 2026, Alameda County’s median rose 0.8% from July and 1.3% from August 2025. Contra Costa’s was unchanged from July and up 2.9% year over year (California Association of REALTORS®). The Contra Costa association’s median, which also includes condos and townhomes, slipped 1.9% from July, while its closed sales fell 6.2% (CCAR Broker Brief 1.5).
Is now a good time to buy in the Tri-Valley?
It depends on your finances more than the calendar. Buyers have a little more room than in summer: sales fell 14.3% in Alameda and 10.3% in Contra Costa from July, and Bay Area inventory rose to 2.6 months (C.A.R., August 2026 report). But the 30-year fixed averaged 6.95% for the week of September 17, 2026 (Freddie Mac), so your buying power is lower than it was in August.
What are mortgage rates in September 2026?
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.95% for the week of September 17, 2026, up from 6.76% the prior week and from 6.26% a year earlier. The 15-year fixed averaged 6.26% (Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey). Rates move weekly, so confirm current pricing with your lender.
About the author. Mony Nop is the owner and team lead of the Mony Nop Real Estate Team at Compass in Livermore, CA (REALTOR®, CA DRE# 01813021). A former Livermore Police Department officer of 17 years, Mony has held a California real estate license since 2007 and was a 2017 NAR Good Neighbor Awards honorable mention. He holds a B.S. in Business Management from St. Mary’s College, twice ran for Mayor of Livermore, is a member of the Rotary Club of Livermore Valley, co-founded the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance and founded the Mony Nop Foundation. His team serves clients in English, Khmer, Thai and Vietnamese. Office: 144 S. K Street, Livermore, CA 94550 · 925.575.1602.
Sources: California Association of REALTORS®, August 2026 Home Sales and Price Report, released 2026-09-16, retrieved 2026-09-21, https://www.car.org/en/aboutus/mediacenter/newsreleases/2026releases/august2026sales. California Association of REALTORS®, July 2026 Home Sales and Price Report, released 2026-08-17, retrieved 2026-09-10, https://www.car.org/aboutus/mediacenter/newsreleases/2026releases/July2026HomeSales. Contra Costa Association of REALTORS®, Broker Brief 1.5 (September 2026 issue, reporting August 2026 MLS data), retrieved 2026-09-21, https://ccartoday.com/broker-1-5-sep-2026/. Contra Costa Association of REALTORS®, Broker Brief 1.4 (August 2026 issue, reporting July 2026 MLS data), retrieved 2026-09-10, https://ccartoday.com/broker-1-4-aug-2026/. Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week of 2026-09-17, retrieved 2026-09-21, https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms.
C.A.R. county median price and sales data represent existing single-family detached homes only and are generated from a survey of more than 90 associations of REALTORS® and MLSs throughout California. Market data changes frequently and varies by city, neighborhood, price band and individual home. Figures above are published county and statewide statistics, not appraisals or valuations of any specific property. Verify school attendance boundaries directly with the applicable school district. Equal Housing Opportunity.
