Q1 2026 Marin Real Estate Market Update: The Market Is Ready. Are You?
So, How's the Market?
People ask us this all the time. At school pickup, at dinner, in a text from a neighbor who noticed a for sale sign go up down the street. The honest answer is that it depends on which numbers you look at, and the story behind them.
Here is what we actually saw in Q1.
333 Single-Family Homes Sold Between January 1 and March 31
On the surface that sounds orderly. Look closer and it tells a more energetic story. 150 of those homes were under contract within eight days. 92 went into contract in under five days, meaning buyers made preemptive offers and skipped the offer date entirely because they found the right home and moved on it. 67 traded off-market, never touching the public MLS. And since the quarter closed on March 31, an additional 124 homes have already sold.
This market is active and it is rewarding the people who are ready for it.
Southern Marin Is in a League of Its Own
The county median held flat at $1,700,000 year-over-year, which is stable at the county level. Zoom in to what is happening town by town and you’ll notice a much bigger shift in the numbers.
Mill Valley's median reached $2,450,000, up 14% year-over-year. Sausalito climbed to $2,340,000, up 26%. Corte Madera hit $2,100,000, up 21%. Larkspur reached $2,559,000, up 9%. Kentfield hit $3,212,500, up 21%. Ross came in at $3,225,000, up 11%.
One Mill Valley home in January listed at $2,600,000, received 12 offers, and traded $1,100,000 over asking. Six of those offers exceeded $3,000,000, several in cash. Another listed at $2,995,000, received 9 offers, and sold for $3,710,000. In Larkspur, a home listed at $3,395,000 closed at $3,951,000. These are the sales the industry is talking about right now, and they are setting the bar for what this spring is shaping up to look like. Every winning offer was non-contingent and ready before the home hit the market.
The Opportunity Further North Is Real
San Rafael led the entire county in sales volume with 97 homes sold and a 64% jump in transactions year-over-year. Novato followed with 70 sales at a median of $1,350,000. Fairfax came in at $1,415,000, up 16%. San Anselmo and Sleepy Hollow landed at $1,900,000, with buyers willing to wait for the right home.
Real communities, good schools, and significantly more breathing room on price. For buyers who want more house without leaving the county, this corridor deserves a serious look.
Access and Relationships Change the Outcome
Moving fast in a competitive market can feel uncomfortable, especially if you are new to it. Our job is to make sure that when the right home comes along, our clients have the information, the confidence, and the access to make a clear-eyed decision.
That starts before the home hits the market. A one to two day head start gives buyers time to think, time to walk through without competing bodies in the room, and time to write an offer with confidence rather than urgency. This business runs on trust between agents on both sides of a transaction, and those relationships mean our clients always have an opportunity, even if they ultimately choose not to take it. The choice is always theirs. We just make sure they always have one.
Buyers are Ready. Are you?
Buyers are paying premiums for good homes right now. If you have been curious about what your home could be worth, or what preparation would move the needle on your final number, start with our home valuation or read more about selling with us.
It is an incredible time to sell. The data supports it and so does everything we are seeing on the ground every week.
Spring is here. The buyers are here. The homes that are ready are the ones getting rewarded.
