How's the Market in the Coachella Valley?
Is it a buyer's or seller's market in the Coachella Valley right now?
It is leaning toward buyers. As of October 1, 2026, the Coachella Valley had 2,985 homes for sale and 422 new pending sales over the prior 30 days. At that pace it would take 212 days to sell every home on the market, up from 162 days a year ago. Inventory is nearly unchanged from last year, while pending sales are down 23 percent. The August median sale price was $549,250, 4.6 percent below August 2025, and homes sold at a median of 96.2 percent of list price.
By Jaimee Linder | October 14, 2026 | CA DRE# 02174604
When someone asks me how the market is, there is usually a decision behind the question. Whether to list this season. What to ask. How hard to push on a home they have already found.
So here is the Coachella Valley as the numbers show it at the start of October, city by city, and what I would do with those numbers if I were selling or buying right now.
The Coachella Valley numbers at a glance
Coachella Valley | Now | One year ago | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Homes for sale | 2,985 | 2,960 | +25 (+1%) |
New pending sales, prior 30 days | 422 | 548 | -126 (-23%) |
Expected market time | 212 days | 162 days | +50 days |
Closed sales in August | 530 | 550 | -20 (-3.6%) |
Median sale price in August | $549,250 | $575,450 | -4.6% |
Source: Reports On Housing, Riverside County Housing Report by Steven Thomas, October 5, 2026, Coachella Valley figures as of October 1, 2026, tabulated from CRMLS data. Year-ago inventory and pending figures are calculated from the changes the report states. The report does not separate Coachella Valley figures by property type, and the data may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. Statistics should not be interpreted as an appraisal of any individual property.
Expected market time is the number of days it would take to sell every home currently listed at the pace of the last 30 days of pending sales. It is a measure of the market, not a prediction for one home. At 212 days, the valley has about seven months of homes for sale at today's buying pace.
Fewer buyers, not more sellers
The year-over-year comparison tells the story in two lines. The valley has 25 more homes for sale than it did a year ago, essentially the same supply. It has 126 fewer pending sales. Market time stretched because buyers pulled back, not because a wave of sellers arrived.
The summer comparison shows the same thing. In my July Coachella Valley market update, the valley had 3,078 homes for sale and 524 pending sales, with an expected market time of 176 days. Since then the number of listings has fallen by 93. Pending sales have fallen by 102. There are fewer homes for sale than in July, and the market is still moving slower, because demand dropped faster than supply.
The past two weeks added supply as well. Over the two weeks ending October 1, inventory rose by 156 homes while pending sales held nearly flat, going from 425 to 422. Four weeks ago the valley's expected market time was 185 days. Two weeks ago it was 200. Now it is 212.
The median price is lower than a year ago
The Coachella Valley median sale price in August was $549,250, down 3 percent from July and 4.6 percent below the $575,450 median of August 2025. The median sale price is lower than a year ago, although changes in the mix of sales may explain part of the decline. A median moves with which homes happen to sell in a given month, so on its own it does not show that comparable homes lost value.
Across the valley, homes sold at a median of 96.2 percent of their list price in August. The report does not say whether that ratio is measured against the original or the final list price. If it uses the final list price, it does not capture price reductions made before the sale, and the gap from the original asking price could be wider.
Every city is running its own market
The valley-wide figure blends very different local markets. Here is how each city in the report compares.
City | Expected market time now | One year ago | August median sale price | August sale-to-list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bermuda Dunes | 264 days | 137 days | $660,000 | 95.9% |
Cathedral City | 163 days | 151 days | $503,500 | 99.5% |
Coachella | 163 days | 193 days | $525,000 | 99.2% |
Desert Hot Springs | 184 days | 119 days | $413,858 | 100.0% |
Indian Wells | 297 days | 123 days | $1,100,000 | 94.9% |
Indio | 186 days | 179 days | $567,500 | 98.3% |
La Quinta | 217 days | 139 days | $740,000 | 97.7% |
Palm Desert | 265 days | 186 days | $525,000 | 96.9% |
Palm Springs | 182 days | 184 days | $539,000 | 97.0% |
Rancho Mirage | 349 days | 153 days | $822,485 | 97.3% |
Thousand Palms | 135 days | 126 days | $315,000 | 100.6% |
All of the Coachella Valley | 212 days | 162 days | $549,250 | 96.2% |
Source: Reports On Housing, Coachella Valley Report, October 1, 2026. Median sale price and sale-to-list ratio are for August 2026 closings. The report does not specify whether sale-to-list is measured against the original or the final list price.
A few things stand out to me.
Palm Springs has held its pace. Its expected market time of 182 days is almost exactly where it was a year ago, at 184, and it has 104 pending sales, more than any other city in the valley.
Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, and Palm Desert have slowed sharply. Rancho Mirage went from 153 days a year ago to 349 days now. Indian Wells went from 123 to 297. Palm Desert, with 637 homes for sale, went from 186 to 265.
La Quinta is slower than a year ago, at 217 days against 139, but it improved over the past two weeks, down from 247 days.
Sales came in closer to list in the valley's lower-priced cities. Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, and Thousand Palms all sold at 99.5 percent of list or above in August. Indian Wells, the one city with an August median above $1 million, sold at 94.9 percent.
One caution on reading the smaller cities. Indian Wells had 9 pending sales in the past month, Coachella 7, Bermuda Dunes 5, and Thousand Palms 4. At those counts, two or three contracts can move a city's market time by months. Indian Wells was at 180 days two weeks ago and is at 297 now. For a steadier read on Indian Wells built from nine months of closings rather than one month of pendings, see what is happening in the Indian Wells real estate market in 2026. For Palm Desert, the Palm Desert year-to-date market report does the same.
What this means if you are selling
Homes are still selling in the Coachella Valley. 530 closed in August and 422 went pending in the past month. With fewer homes going pending and inventory nearly unchanged, buyers face less competition. If you are planning to list this season, this is how I would approach it.
- Price against recent closed sales, not against other asking prices. With about seven homes for sale for every new pending sale, asking prices tell you what sellers hope for. Closed sales are the recorded prices buyers actually paid. Pending sales show which homes are attracting buyers, although their contract prices are generally not public until the sale closes.
- Use your city's number, not the valley's. A seller in Palm Springs and a seller in Rancho Mirage are in the same valley and in very different markets, at 182 days against 349.
- Plan for the time this market is taking. I explain what drives timing in how long it will take to sell your Coachella Valley home. Review the financial and tax implications of holding the property with your financial advisor or CPA.
- Decide your negotiating range before the first offer arrives. The valley's median sale closed at 96.2 percent of list in August, and Indian Wells at 94.9 percent. Knowing your floor in advance keeps a reasonable offer from turning into a standoff.
- Answer buyers' questions before they ask them. When buyers have competing options in their price range and community, unanswered questions can make a home easier to pass over. I keep a list of the 31 questions buyers ask before they make an offer, and having those answers ready before you list is part of pricing well.
If your home is already on the market and the showings have slowed, your listing has been sitting: the numbers behind what to do next walks through the decision.
What this means if you are buying
The leverage is real, and it is uneven. In Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, and Palm Desert, buyers have time to compare and room to negotiate. In Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, and Thousand Palms, well-priced homes were still selling at or near full price in August.
Before you write an offer, look at recent closed sales in the specific community you are considering, and at which homes there are going pending, rather than the valley-wide median. That is where your negotiating room actually comes from. If you are buying, I can pull those numbers for the community you have in mind before you write an offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it a good time to sell a home in the Coachella Valley?
It is a slower time to sell than a year ago, but homes are still selling. As of October 1, 2026, 422 Coachella Valley homes went pending over the prior 30 days, and 530 closed in August. With fewer homes going pending and inventory nearly unchanged, buyers face less competition, so a home needs to be priced against recent closed sales in its own city rather than against other asking prices. Whether it is the right time for you depends on your city, your price range, and your plans.
How long does it take to sell a home in the Coachella Valley right now?
Valley-wide, the expected market time was 212 days as of October 1, 2026, up from 162 days a year ago. Expected market time is how long it would take to sell every home currently listed at the pace of the last 30 days of pending sales. It ranges by city from 135 days in Thousand Palms to 349 days in Rancho Mirage. It measures the market, not one home, and a well-priced listing can go pending much sooner.
Are home prices dropping in the Coachella Valley?
The median sale price is lower than a year ago, although changes in the mix of sales may explain part of the decline. The Coachella Valley median sale price in August 2026 was $549,250, down 3 percent from July and 4.6 percent below the $575,450 median in August 2025. For a specific home, recent closed sales of comparable homes in its own city tell you more than the valley-wide median.
Which Coachella Valley cities are selling faster right now?
Based on expected market time as of October 1, 2026, Thousand Palms (135 days), Cathedral City (163 days), and Coachella (163 days) are moving faster than the valley as a whole at 212 days. Palm Springs, at 182 days, is nearly where it was a year ago. Rancho Mirage (349 days), Indian Wells (297 days), Palm Desert (265 days), and Bermuda Dunes (264 days) are slower. Several cities had fewer than ten pending sales in the past month, so a few contracts can shift their numbers quickly.
How far below asking are Coachella Valley homes selling?
In August 2026, the median Coachella Valley home sold at 96.2 percent of its list price. Sales ran close to full price in the valley's lower-priced cities, including Desert Hot Springs at 100.0 percent and Cathedral City at 99.5 percent. Indian Wells, the only city with an August median above $1 million, came in at 94.9 percent. The report does not specify whether these ratios use the original or the final list price, so they may not reflect price reductions made before the sale.
How many homes are for sale in the Coachella Valley?
As of October 1, 2026, there were 2,985 homes for sale across the Coachella Valley, up 156 from two weeks earlier and 25 more than a year ago. Palm Desert had 637 and Palm Springs had 631, together more than 4 in 10 of the valley's listings. Supply is close to last year's level. What changed is demand, with pending sales down 23 percent year over year.
Should I wait to sell my Coachella Valley home?
Whether waiting makes sense depends on your circumstances, carrying costs, and competition. These figures alone cannot establish that waiting will produce a better result. What they do show is that pending sales are down from 548 a year ago to 422 now, while inventory is about the same. If you list now, price against recent closed sales in your city and plan for a longer market time. Review the financial and tax implications of holding the property with your financial advisor or CPA.
Request a Property-Specific Market Review
If you want a straight read on where your home sits against current pendings and closings, call or text me. I will tell you what I see, including if the answer is to wait. You can also start with an instant home valuation, though a number from a model is a starting point rather than a pricing strategy. Call or text Jaimee: (760) 423-3152
About Jaimee Linder
Jaimee Linder is a Luxe Director with Bennion & Deville Fine Homes, serving sellers and buyers across the Coachella Valley with a concierge-level approach. A resident of Ironwood Country Club for more than 17 years and a longtime real estate owner and investor, she brings firsthand understanding of South Palm Desert, Ironwood, Indian Wells, and the surrounding desert communities. Jaimee advises clients on pricing, positioning, and execution with a clear focus on the best possible outcome. CA DRE# 02174604
