Placer County housing market: August 2026 report
The newest figures on the Placer County housing market come from C.A.R.'s August 2026 report, released September 16, 2026. The report shows a median sold price of $692,500 for existing single-family homes, a median of 32 days on market, and 3.6 months on the Unsold Inventory Index. On rates, Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.03% as of September 24, 2026. Below I go through what each number measures, what it leaves out, and how to use it if you are buying or selling in Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Granite Bay or Auburn.
The August numbers for the Placer County housing market
C.A.R.'s August 2026 report, released September 16, 2026, put the Placer County median sold price of existing single-family homes at $692,500. That compares with $689,000 in July 2026 and $675,000 in August 2025, a change of +0.5% from July and +2.6% from a year earlier. In the same report, closed sales of existing single-family homes in the county changed -17.8% from July 2026 and +5.0% from August 2025.
The same C.A.R. report put the Placer County Unsold Inventory Index at 3.6 months in August 2026, against 3.0 in July 2026 and 3.9 in August 2025. Median time on market was 32 days in August 2026, against 29 in July 2026 and 34.5 in August 2025.
C.A.R. states the Unsold Inventory Index in months, and the report gives the August reading next to July and the same month a year earlier. Read it against both of those, not on its own. Median time on market is the midpoint: half the homes sold faster, half took longer.
How Placer compares with Sacramento County and California
For Sacramento County, C.A.R.'s August 2026 report, released September 16, 2026, put the median sold price at $549,000. That compares with $540,000 in July 2026 and $550,000 in August 2025, a change of +1.7% from July and -0.2% from a year earlier. Closed sales changed -5.6% from July 2026 and +2.0% from August 2025. The Unsold Inventory Index was 3.2 months (3.1 in July 2026; 3.2 in August 2025), and median time on market was 25 days (24.5 in July 2026; 28 in August 2025).
Statewide, the same C.A.R. report put the California median sold price at $901,420 in August 2026 ($887,210 in July 2026; $900,620 in August 2025), a change of +1.6% from July and +0.1% from a year earlier. California closed sales, measured as a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, changed +2.4% from July 2026 and +1.4% from August 2025. The state index was 3.7 months (3.4 in July 2026; 3.9 in August 2025), and median time on market was 28 days (26 in July 2026; 31 in August 2025).
One caution on comparing sales. The state sales figure is seasonally adjusted. C.A.R. states that its county sales data is not. A month-to-month county change and a month-to-month state change are not measured on the same basis, so the percentages do not line up one for one.
Where mortgage rates stood on September 24
Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.03% as of September 24, 2026, against 6.95% the week before and 6.30% a year earlier. The same survey put the 15-year fixed rate at 6.42%, against 6.26% the week before and 5.49% a year earlier.
Freddie Mac releases the survey on Thursdays at 12 p.m. ET. Each week's figure averages rates on loan applications from the prior Thursday through Wednesday. It is an average of applications. It is not a quote, and the rate on your loan depends on your own loan type, down payment, credit and lender terms.
Also keep the timing in mind. The loan on a home that closed in August may have had its rate set before closing. August sales data and the September 24 survey average describe different moments.
What these figures measure, and what they do not
C.A.R.'s August 2026 report says its county figures cover existing single-family detached homes only, drawn from a survey of more than 90 Realtor associations. Condos and townhomes are not in these medians. In C.A.R.'s words, "Median prices can be influenced by changes in cost, as well as changes in the characteristics and the size of homes sold. The change in median prices should not be construed as actual price changes in specific homes."
That matters when you read the county median as a price for your own home. If more larger homes closed in August than in July, the median can rise even when no single home gained value. The reverse works the same way. A county median is a snapshot of what sold that month. It is not an appraisal of your house.
The county figure also blends different places. Placer County lists Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln and Auburn among its incorporated cities, with Auburn as the county seat, and Granite Bay as an unincorporated community. Each of those markets has its own mix of homes, and city and neighborhood numbers can differ from the county number.
Buying and selling in Placer County at these figures
For buyers
Use the county median time on market as a starting point, not a rule. Say a buyer is watching a home in Roseville that has been listed for six weeks. C.A.R.'s county median of 32 days for August 2026 tells you that home has sat longer than half the single-family homes that sold in the county in August 2026. It does not tell you why. The price, condition or location may explain it, and that is what you ask about before you write an offer.
Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.03% as of September 24, 2026. With that average in mind, get a written loan estimate from your own lender before you set a price range. Our buyer resources walk through preapproval, contingencies and the offer process.
For sellers
Price from recent closed sales near your home, not from the county median. Say a seller in Granite Bay reads C.A.R.'s August 2026 Placer County median of $692,500. That figure blends sales from across the whole county, so it tells that seller little about their own list price. The comparable sales near their home tell them more.
Ask for the last 90 days of closed sales on your street, in your subdivision or across your city, with the days on market and the gap between list and sale price for each. That is the data I tell sellers to price from. Our selling resources cover preparation, pricing and disclosures.
Common questions
Did home prices in Placer County go up in August 2026?
C.A.R.'s report, released September 16, 2026, shows the county median at $692,500, up 0.5% from July 2026 and 2.6% from August 2025. C.A.R. notes that a median moves with the mix of homes sold, so this is not the change in value of any single home. Recent comparable sales tell you more about a specific home.
Will my mortgage rate match the weekly survey average?
Not necessarily. Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.03% as of September 24, 2026. That is an average of loan applications from the prior week. Your rate depends on your loan and your lender's terms, so get a loan estimate.
How should I read the change in Placer County sales from July and from a year ago?
C.A.R.'s August 2026 report, released September 16, 2026, put Placer County closed sales at -17.8% from July 2026 and +5.0% from August 2025. C.A.R. states that county sales data is not adjusted to account for seasonal factors that can influence home sales. The first figure compares August with July. The second compares August 2026 with August 2025. For a specific city or subdivision, ask for the monthly count of closed sales in that area.
Bottom line
C.A.R.'s August 2026 report and Freddie Mac's September 24, 2026 survey give you the county, state and rate backdrop. They do not price your home or set your loan rate. For decisions in the Placer County real estate market, use the closed sales in your own area and a loan estimate from your own lender. Start there, and read the county numbers as context.