Palm Desert Home Prices 2026 vs 2025: What the Numbers Mean If You Are Buying or Selling Now
If you are weighing a move in Palm Desert right now, the closed-sales numbers from the first seven months of 2026 tell a clearer story than headlines do. This data comes directly from the CRMLS closed-sales report for Palm Desert, residential properties only, comparing January 1 through July 31 of 2025 and 2026, split between attached (condo and townhome) and detached (single-family) homes. The two segments are behaving differently, and lumping them together hides what actually matters to your decision.
Here is what closed in each year, and what it means if you are getting ready to list or make an offer.
By Jaimee Linder | August 6, 2026
The topline: more homes are closing
Palm Desert closed 1,071 residential sales in the first seven months of 2026, up from 966 over the same period in 2025. That is an increase of 10.9 percent. More transactions closing is not, by itself, a signal to buy or sell. It tells you the market is active. For the broader county-wide conditions these Palm Desert numbers sit inside, see my July update on the Coachella Valley market. The more useful story for your own decision is in how attached and detached homes are pricing and moving differently within that Palm Desert total.
Condos and townhomes: more sales, softer pricing
Attached homes, condos and townhomes, closed 473 sales through July 2026, compared to 453 in the same window last year. That is a 4.4 percent increase in volume.
Pricing moved the other direction. The median close price fell from $510,900 to $480,000, a drop of 6.0 percent. The average close price came down from $585,758 to $568,695, down 2.9 percent. Average price per square foot slipped from $348.09 to $342.70.
Homes in this segment are also taking longer to sell. Average days on market moved from 68 to 72, and the average sale-to-list ratio eased slightly from 97.0 percent to 96.2 percent.
If you own a condo or townhome in Palm Desert and are thinking about listing, this is the segment where pricing strategy matters more than it did a year ago. Buyers in this range have more room to negotiate than they did in 2025, and that shows up directly in both the sale price and the time it takes to get there. If your own listing has already been sitting without much traffic, I wrote separately about what the data says about whether to adjust price or pull the listing.
Single-family homes: volume and price both up, but so is time on market
Detached homes tell a different story. Closed sales rose from 513 to 598, a 16.6 percent increase, the strongest growth of either segment.
Prices moved up alongside that volume. Median close price rose from $628,000 to $640,000, up 1.9 percent. Average close price rose from $908,302 to $940,005, up 3.5 percent.
Days on market rose as well, from an average of 65 to 75 days, a 15.4 percent increase. Average price per square foot held nearly flat, down 0.6 percent from $373.68 to $371.41.
The pattern here is a market still absorbing single-family inventory at a healthy pace and at slightly higher prices, but buyers are taking more time to commit. If you are selling a single-family home in Palm Desert, plan for a longer runway to close than you would have seen a year ago, even with pricing still moving in your favor.
One note on the days-on-market figures above. Those are backward-looking averages pulled from homes that already closed. They are a different measure than Expected Market Time, which projects how long it would take to sell today's active inventory at the current pace of pending sales. I calculate that figure by city, including Palm Desert specifically, in how long it currently takes to sell a home across the Coachella Valley.
What the sale-to-list ratio tells you
Both segments are still closing close to asking price. Attached homes closed at a median 97.1 percent of list price in 2026, essentially flat from 97.3 percent in 2025. Detached homes closed at a median 97.7 percent of list, up slightly from 97.6 percent.
A ratio this close to 100 percent in both segments means overpricing still gets punished quickly. It also means well-priced listings are not sitting and taking large reductions to sell. The gap between list and close price has not widened meaningfully in either segment, even as days on market has increased.
If you are selling in Palm Desert right now
The data points to two different conversations depending on what you own. A condo or townhome needs a pricing strategy built around where the market actually is today, not where it was a year ago. A single-family home has more pricing room, but plan for a longer marketing timeline than last year's numbers would suggest. Pricing is only part of the preparation. I also wrote about which repairs are worth making before you list, using Ironwood Country Club as the example, though the same approach to weighing which objections cost you the most applies across Palm Desert.
If you are buying in Palm Desert right now
Condo buyers have more negotiating room than they did in 2025, both on price and on time. Single-family buyers are competing in a segment where prices are still rising, but the extra days on market give you more room to do due diligence and negotiate terms before you are up against a deadline. One additional variable worth checking before you compare prices across Palm Desert listings: some Palm Desert properties sit on leased land rather than fee land, which affects price, financing, and long-term cost. I cover that distinction in lease land versus fee land in the Coachella Valley.
Talk through your specific numbers
These are segment-wide averages. Your property, your neighborhood, and your timeline will move the specific numbers that matter to your decision. I would rather walk through what these trends mean for your situation directly than have you guess at how they apply to you.
Call or text me at (760) 423-3152 to schedule a consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Palm Desert home prices up or down in 2026 compared to 2025?
It depends on the property type. Condo and townhome prices are down, with the median close price falling 6.0 percent from $510,900 to $480,000. Single-family home prices are up, with the median close price rising 1.9 percent from $628,000 to $640,000.
Is Palm Desert a buyer's market or a seller's market right now?
Neither term fully applies across the board. Both attached and detached homes are still closing near 97 percent of list price, which favors sellers who price accurately. But days on market are up in both segments, and condo prices have softened, which gives buyers more leverage than they had in 2025.
How many days are homes taking to sell in Palm Desert in 2026?
Condos and townhomes are averaging 72 days on market, up from 68 in 2025. Single-family homes are averaging 75 days, up from 65 in 2025.
Are condos or single-family homes performing differently in Palm Desert?
Yes. Condo and townhome sales volume is up 4.4 percent year over year, but prices are down and homes are taking longer to sell. Single-family sales volume is up 16.6 percent, prices are up, and homes are also taking longer to sell. The two segments require different pricing and timing strategies.
What does the sale-to-list price ratio tell buyers and sellers in Palm Desert?
Both segments are closing close to asking price, with attached homes at a median 97.1 percent of list and detached homes at 97.7 percent. This means accurately priced homes are not sitting and taking steep reductions, even though overall days on market has increased.
Should I buy or sell in Palm Desert right now based on these trends?
That depends on your property type, your timeline, and your goals. These are market-wide averages, not a prediction for any single property. Call or text Jaimee at (760) 423-3152 to go through what these numbers mean for your specific situation.
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
Source: CRMLS closed residential sales for Palm Desert, January 1 through July 31, 2025 and 2026. Data reflects reported MLS transactions and may be revised.
