Category: Real Estate Market Update

The American Canyon real estate market is fast and you better not wait too long or you’ll miss out completely.

My listing at Rio del Mar sold at $415,000 which was $45,000 above asking. There were 4 total offers. It’s at the entrance of the Rancho del Mar subdivision and boasted a huge back yard and an additional 500±sf of living space. It has some foundational and drainage issues which dragged the original list price down but which made the offers all that much more remarkable. Last fall a home on the other side of the creek in the 100 block of Los Altos struggled to sell at full price (~$400,000) even though it was turnkey. What a difference 6 months make.

Higher end homes are not selling quite as fast but there is definitely still a market for them. This is good news as the original investor in Canyon Estates continues to look for someone to develop them. I still think that a $1M home in the AC will be difficult without something happening with Broadway and/or Watson Ranch.

Even though there were double the amount of homes on the market year-over-year for March, the inventory still fills tighter than it has been for a while. Homes priced in a traditional first time home buyer price range are still going fast. Overall, there is only a little over a month’s worth of inventory (the amount of time it would take to sell all active homes). This data backs up the “feeling” that we are in a fast market right now.

What this chart doesn’t show is that of the 19 homes on the market, at least 7 are either businesses or should be looked at as commercial potential – especially those along Broadway/Hwy 29. If you’re interested in one of the many properties for sale along Broadway, make sure that you talk to Brent Cooper over at the City before you start trying to put up a development that the property isn’t suited for…those non-conforming homes are a big issue.

The good news for buyers is that the median selling price for a home in American Canyon has stayed relatively stagnant over the first quarter. I am continuing to see Rancho del Mar homes drag down the home prices in McKight Acres, Napa Square, Napa Meadows, etc. The Rancho homes that are selling for a premium (mid-to-high $400,000’s) are turnkey and recently remodeled. Sellers in the mid-market that aren’t willing to do the same are taking a hit on it and the homes are lagging…there’s a lesson here if sellers and listing agents are willing to listen.

The American Canyon real estate market got healthier in December as the number of homes sold nearly doubled and the median sales price rose 17.5% month-to-month.

The $490,000 median home price reflects increased first time home buyer demand. This past summer and fall there were fewer big houses on the market driving down the overall average list price and median sales prices. Inventory is a huge concern as of late and American Canyon is no exception. MLS only shows 17 homes on the market. A number of these properties are currently used as a business (group homes for individuals diagnosed with a development disability) or are zoned community commercial. That leaves fewer, true single family residential homes on the market.

This lack of inventory is good for homeowners as they continue to build equity. The city isn’t quite back to 2007 prices but it’s close. If there is a continued lack of inventory look for home prices to go well beyond the expected 5-8% increase this year. The spring selling season will tell us a lot about what the rest of the year will look like.