By The Schween Group | Compass Real Estate | Sonoma County, Napa County & Beyond
The April numbers are in! Spring is here, and the North Bay real estate market is giving us plenty to talk about. Whether you're thinking about buying your first home in Santa Rosa, selling a property in Healdsburg, or just keeping tabs on what's happening across Sonoma and Napa counties, April 2026 data tells an interesting story. Some markets are moving faster than ever. Others are cooling in ways that actually create opportunity. Let's break it all down.
The countywide numbers set the tone for everything else. Sonoma County's median listing price hit $1.06 million in April, up 7% from last year. Homes are selling for a median of $875,000, also up 2% year over year. Days on market dropped to just 42 days, down 18% from 51 days last April. And while active inventory fell 12% to 1,212 listings, pending sales jumped 15% to 376 and closed sales rose 13% to 358.
What does that tell us? Buyers are active, inventory is tighter than last year, and well-priced homes are moving. This is not a market where sellers can overprice and wait. But for buyers, the pace is still manageable if you're prepared.
Santa Rosa's median listing price came in at $920,000, up 8% from $855K last April. The median sales price settled at $762,000, which is actually down 4% from last year's $793K. That gap between listing and sales price is worth paying attention to. It tells us sellers are still optimistic on pricing, but buyers are negotiating.
The standout stat here is days on market: just 37 days, down 26% from 50 days last year. Active listings dropped 15% to 412, while pending sales climbed 5% to 144 and closed sales held nearly flat at 132. The market is efficient. Homes that are priced right and show well are not sitting.
Bottom line for Santa Rosa: If you're buying, move decisively on homes that check your boxes. If you're selling, pricing strategy matters more than ever because the data shows buyers are paying attention to value.
Windsor might be the most telling story in this entire report. Days on market dropped to just 27 days, down a remarkable 64% from 74 days last April. That is a dramatic shift. The median sales price rose 8% to $875,000, and pending sales jumped 20% to 24. Active inventory stayed flat at 54 listings, meaning whatever comes on the market is getting absorbed quickly.
Windsor has been a favorite among families for years thanks to its schools, its walkable town center, and its value relative to other Sonoma County cities. These numbers confirm that buyers have figured that out. If Windsor is on your list, you need to be ready to act within days of a home hitting the market, not weeks.
Petaluma is another market that is moving with conviction. Days on market fell 40% to just 25 days, one of the fastest paces in the region. Active listings dropped 35% to 86, which is a significant inventory crunch. Pending sales came in at 44, and closed sales rose 11% to 40. The median sales price was $910,000, down 8% from last year's $985K.
That price dip combined with faster sales suggests buyers are being selective but still active. Homes that are well presented and priced to reflect current conditions are selling quickly. Overpriced listings are the ones sitting.
Rohnert Park's median sales price came in at $757,000, down 4% from $785K last year, making it one of the more accessible entry points in the county. Listing prices rose 7% to $799K, days on market fell slightly to 44, and pending sales are holding steady. Active listings dropped 35% to just 49.
For buyers who want to be in Sonoma County without stretching to $900K or beyond, Rohnert Park is worth serious consideration. Inventory is limited and what's available is moving.
Sebastopol is one of the more nuanced markets this month. The median listing price dropped 17% to $1.25 million and the median sales price fell 7% to $1.23 million. At the same time, days on market rose 43% to 43 days and pending sales surged 53% to 23. Sold listings ticked down slightly to 18.
The takeaway: prices came down from their 2025 highs, and buyers responded. Pending sales nearly doubled. This is exactly the dynamic that creates opportunity. If Sebastopol has been on your radar but felt out of reach, April's data suggests the window may be open right now.
Healdsburg is one of the most desirable small towns in California, and April's numbers reflect a market that is generating renewed activity even as prices stay elevated. The median listing price rose 19% to $2 million and the median sales price jumped 30% to $1.36 million. Pending sales rose 36% and closed sales came in at 18, up from 17 last year.
Days on market increased to 71 days, which reflects the deliberate pace of luxury transactions rather than weakness. Buyers in this segment take their time, and sellers need to plan for that. The strong sales price growth suggests that when the right buyer meets the right property, there's still significant appetite here.
The Sonoma Valley numbers are genuinely striking this month. Pending sales rocketed up 76% to 51 from just 29 last year. Closed sales surged 136% to 52 from 22. Those are not typos. Meanwhile the median sales price came in at $1.29 million, down 8% from $1.41M, and days on market dropped 15% to 55.
This is a market that found a clearing price and buyers moved in quickly. The combination of more reasonable pricing and strong lifestyle appeal in the Sonoma Valley corridor is driving a wave of activity that should continue into summer.
Napa County overall shows a median listing price of $1.50 million (essentially flat, up 0.2%) and a median sales price of $915,000, down 3%. Days on market rose 24% to 57 days and pending sales jumped 21% to 86. Active inventory sits at 497 listings, down just 2%. The market is active and the transaction pace is picking up even as prices moderate slightly from last year's peaks.
City of Napa specifically has seen listing prices rise 17% to $1.40 million, which is a significant jump. But the median sales price dropped 7% to $905K, and days on market rose to 59. There's a meaningful gap between what sellers want and what buyers are paying, and that negotiating room is real.
St. Helena remains one of the most exclusive markets in the entire North Bay. The median listing price is $2.40 million and the median sales price came in at $1.85 million, up 11% from last year. Days on market rose to 60 days, which is expected at this price point. Pending sales doubled year over year and sold listings jumped from 2 to 9, a 350% increase. Small sample sizes aside, the directional signal is clear: St. Helena is active.
Marin County continues to command some of the highest prices in the region. The median sales price is $1.95 million, up 7% from last year. Days on market rose to 35 days, up 35%, and active inventory fell 15% to 510. Pending sales rose 11% to 218 and closed sales jumped 16% to 209. Marin remains one of the most consistently competitive luxury markets in California.
Green Valley is a smaller, data-thin market but the numbers are eye-catching. Pending sales jumped 133% to 14 and sold listings rose 75% to 7. The median sales price rose 8% to $815K. When pending and sold volumes move this much in a smaller market, it often signals a shift in perception or value discovery.
Russian River showed a median sales price of $540,000, down 14% from last year, with days on market falling 18% to 42 and sold listings rising 31% to 21. If you've been interested in a second home or vacation property in the Russian River area, this data suggests you have more negotiating leverage now than you did a year ago.
Mendocino County stands out for its pending sales surge, up 73% to 57. Days on market ticked up to 69 and the median sales price dipped 3% to $451K. For buyers looking for affordable California coastal or rural property, Mendocino is worth a hard look.
Cloverdale shows a complex picture. Days on market jumped to 88, the highest in any market we cover, while pending sales rose 167% to 8. Small market dynamics make the percentage changes dramatic, but the basic picture is a slower-moving market with some buyer interest returning.
The North Bay is not one market. It's a collection of distinct communities, each with its own rhythm, inventory situation, and buyer profile. What's true in Windsor (move fast, prices rising) is very different from what's true in Sebastopol (prices corrected, opportunity emerging) or Healdsburg (luxury pace, long runway).
A few themes cut across almost every market this April:
Inventory is down almost everywhere. Fewer homes are competing for the same pool of buyers. Well-prepared sellers in the right price range are benefiting from this.
Buyers are paying attention to value. In most markets, the gap between listing prices and sales prices tells us that buyers are not accepting asking prices uncritically. They're doing their homework, and realistic pricing is what gets homes sold.
Pending sales are rising in almost every market. This is a leading indicator. What's going into escrow today becomes the sold data next month. The direction is clear: buyer activity is increasing heading into summer.
If you want to talk through what this means for your specific situation, whether you're thinking about buying, selling, or just watching the market, we're happy to have that conversation.
Data sourced from BAREIS MLS via Broker Metrics. All figures reflect single-family residences, April 2026 year-over-year comparison. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Contact us for a personalized market analysis for your neighborhood.
The Schween Group: Jeff Schween & Kelsey McCaffrey | Compass Real Estate | [707-492-0551 [email protected]] | DRE #02282238
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
By The Schween Group | Compass Real Estate | Sonoma County, Napa County & Beyond
The numbers from March are in!
December 2025 Numbers
