SAN DIEGO, CA — Home sales rose significantly last month in San Diego County and statewide as slightly more favorable mortgage rates encouraged buyers to enter the market, the California Association of Realtors announced Tuesday.

Sales of existing, single-family homes in California totaled 274,820 in February on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, up 7% from January’s total, but down 0.3% from February 2025.

In San Diego County, sales were up 22.2% last month, and up 4.6% from this time last year. Neighboring Imperial County saw a 22.9% increase in February over January, but was down 10.4% from this time last year.

“Following a soft start to the year, the housing market regained momentum in February, with both sales and prices showing solid gains,” CAR President Tamara Suminski said in a statement. “The conflict in the Middle East is creating some uncertainty for the broader economy and financial markets, which could lead to some short-term hesitation in the housing market. We remain hopeful though that the situation will stabilize in the weeks ahead, allowing market fundamentals and buyer and seller confidence to reassert themselves.”

Statewide prices were also up last month, with California’s median home price rising 0.9% from January to February, to $830,370. That represents a 0.2% increase from one year ago.

San Diego County’s average price remained unchanged in February at $1.05 million, 1% higher than last year. Imperial County’s average price was down 1.6% to $447,500, a 13.6% increase from one year ago.

“While mortgage rates remain below year-ago levels, they recently jumped to their highest level in seven months and could temper buyer momentum as we head into the spring homebuying season,” CAR Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Jordan Levine said. “However, many homeowners remain locked in to historically low rates, and inventory remains tight, so any stabilization in rates could help bolster home prices in the spring market despite ongoing affordability and economic challenges.”

The county with the highest median home price in California in February was Mono County at $2.35 million, after increasing 50% from last month. The lowest median price was Lassen County’s $199,000, after a 22% drop from last month.

— City News Service