More homes changed hands in Citrus Heights this fall than a year earlier, even as borrowing costs climbed. According to newly released Redfin data, 211 homes sold in the three months ending October 2026, up 14.1% from 185 in the same period of 2025. Buyers were also more willing to pay above asking: 34.0% of homes sold above list price, compared with 23.2% a year earlier.

The increase in sales came with only modest price movement. The median sale price in Citrus Heights, a city of 86,487 residents, rose 1.6% year-over-year to $479,666, up from $472,000. The city’s population fell 0.9% over the past year, according to the California Department of Finance, so the rise in sales does not appear to reflect a growing local population.

Sales activity

The year-over-year sales gain stands out against a backdrop of higher mortgage rates. According to Freddie Mac data published by the Federal Reserve, the 30-year fixed rate averaged 7.33% in October 2026, up from 6.86% in September and 6.25% in October 2025.

Month-over-month, activity held roughly steady. Sales slipped 0.5% from 212 homes in the three months ending September. A small dip at this point in the year is consistent with the usual seasonal slowdown as the market moves from summer into fall.

The current sales pace is also slightly ahead of two years ago, when 207 homes sold in the three months ending October 2024. It remains well below the 353 sales recorded during the same period in 2021, when demand was elevated during the pandemic.

Sellers also held their pricing power. Homes sold for a median of 99.7% of their list price, meaning most buyers paid close to the asking price. The median list price was $469,699, up from $460,000 a year earlier.

Prices and affordability

The median sale price was essentially unchanged from the prior period, down 0.1% from $480,000 in the three months ending September. Over two years, prices have barely moved. The current median is close to the $475,000 recorded in the three months ending October 2024.

Over five years, the median price has risen 4.3% from $460,000. That is a modest gain for a period that covered both the pandemic housing boom and its cooldown.

The price per square foot points in a different direction from the headline median. The median price per square foot fell 1.2% year-over-year to $316, down from $320, even as the median sale price rose. This suggests buyers may have purchased somewhat larger homes this year rather than paying more for the same amount of space.

Higher rates have made the same purchase more expensive month to month. With 20% down and a 30-year fixed loan at 7.33%, the monthly principal and interest payment on a median-priced home comes to $2,639. That is $314 more per month than a year ago, when the comparable payment was $2,325, and the increase comes mostly from the rate change rather than prices.

The new payment equals 38.5% of the city’s median monthly household income, a level that is stretched but not considered unaffordable by common lending standards. The median-priced home costs 5.8 times the median household income of $82,314, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which is above the 5x threshold often used to mark a market as unaffordable.

Nationally, home prices continued to rise year-over-year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index.

Supply and pace

Inventory grew alongside sales. There were 411 active listings in the three months ending October, up 9.0% from 377 a year earlier and above the 341 recorded two years ago. New listings also increased year-over-year, to 239 from 223.

Even with more homes for sale, the market remains tight. Citrus Heights had 1.9 months of supply, meaning the current inventory would sell out in under two months at the recent sales pace. A level that low indicates a sellers’ market in which buyers have relatively few options.

Homes also sold faster than a year ago. The median time on market was 28 days, down 9.7% from 31 days in the three months ending October 2025. In practical terms, a typical listing found a buyer in about four weeks.

Recent momentum, however, shows some seasonal cooling:

  • The median days on market rose 16.7% from 24 days in the three months ending September.
  • Active inventory fell 6.2% month-over-month, from 438 listings.
  • New listings dropped to 239 from 272 in the prior period, which fits the usual pattern of fewer sellers listing as fall arrives.

The pace is still slower than in earlier years. Two years ago, homes sold in a median of 21 days. In the three months ending October 2021, the median was just 9 days, when buyers typically had little time to decide.