Reviewed July 30, 2026. The market figures below cover the rolling three months ending May 31, 2026. They do not describe the full year.
Redfin’s latest luxury analysis showed stronger national price and pending-sale growth than the middle of the market during one rolling three-month period. It also showed substantial differences among metros.
Redfin reported a $1,374,470 median sale price for the homes it classified as luxury, up 4.7% from a year earlier. Its non-luxury comparison group rose 1.5%. Pending luxury sales increased 5.2%, compared with 3.6% for the non-luxury group.
Luxury homes took a median of 49 days to go under contract. That was five days longer than a year earlier and five days longer than the comparison group. Those figures describe Redfin’s data set, not the likely timeline for an individual property.
Luxury is defined locally
Redfin defines luxury homes as those estimated to be in the top 5% of each metro area’s price range. Its non-luxury comparison group covers the 35th through 65th percentiles. A luxury home in Greater Birmingham, Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco therefore enters a different price range and buyer pool.
For the period ending May 31, San Francisco luxury pending sales rose 45.9% from a year earlier and closed luxury sales rose 46.3%. San Diego luxury pending sales rose 22.5%. Anaheim moved differently, with closed luxury sales down 16.9% and active luxury listings down 23.2%.
These metro figures are subject to revision and should not be projected onto another city, neighborhood, property type, or price range.
Financing and carrying costs still matter
Some high-end purchases use cash, large down payments, jumbo loans, or other financing structures. Each path can carry different underwriting requirements, costs, liquidity effects, and tax considerations.
Buyers should review written loan terms, insurance availability, taxes, association or club obligations, utilities, maintenance, security, and reserves with the appropriate professionals. A high purchase price does not make those questions less important.
Match presentation to the property
Architectural photography, accurate floor plans, measured video, and organized property records can help a prospective buyer understand the home’s materials, setting, systems, and function.
Access criteria should be objective and applied consistently. Financial readiness, representation, identification, notice, and property-security procedures should never be based on a protected characteristic.
A seller considering public, delayed, or limited marketing should receive the available options, benefits, limits, and applicable local MLS requirements in writing. Privacy cannot be guaranteed, and reduced exposure may reduce buyer awareness or competition.
Property-level due diligence
Depending on the property, review may include:
- Insurance availability, limits, deductibles, and exclusions
- Qualified inspections suited to the structure and site
- Septic, well, shoreline, hillside, flood, or fire considerations when applicable
- Historic, architectural, zoning, or land-use restrictions
- Permits and records for additions or improvements
- Advanced mechanical, electrical, automation, and security systems
- Guest structures and accessory units
- Association, club, or shared-facility obligations
- Furniture, art, fixtures, and exclusions identified clearly in the contract
For buyers
- Compare the home with current peers in the same market and price tier.
- Price insurance and carrying costs early.
- Use inspectors and advisers suited to the property.
- Confirm what is included and excluded in writing.
- Review resale considerations and the depth of the buyer pool.
For sellers
- Define the likely buyer pool with current local evidence.
- Price from comparable properties, condition, and competition.
- Prepare records for systems, improvements, maintenance, and permits.
- Choose presentation and access procedures that fit the property.
- Document the selected exposure strategy and review it as the market responds.
Important context
Redfin’s report is a proprietary analysis of MLS data and is subject to revision. Its luxury definition changes by metro. The national median and selected metro growth rates are not valuation standards for an individual property.
This article is general market information, not financial, lending, legal, tax, insurance, investment, or property-condition advice.
Sources and periods
- Redfin luxury-market analysis, published June 30 and updated July 13, 2026, covering the three months ending May 31
- National Association of REALTORS® listing-options guidance, reviewed July 30, 2026
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Housing overview, reviewed July 30, 2026
