180 homes sold in El Cerrito in the last year, at a typical $1.2M
Almost every sale is a house. Below: what each kind of home sells for, what your budget buys, the best months to buy, how hard you’ll have to bid, and a shortcut to every site where El Cerrito homes are listed.
Every place El Cerrito homes are listed, in one stop
We don’t copy listings: the agents’ sites have the photos and the latest price changes. Set what you want once and we open each site already filtered to El Cerrito.
For sale
Rent
New, land & open houses
Links open the listing sites; TownRatings isn’t paid for them and doesn’t rank one above another. Rentals and government-owned homes come from sources outside the MLS.
Houses are 92% of El Cerrito’s sales, at a typical $1.3M
180 homes sold in the year to May 2026.
typical sale · 165 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $744CA $494
- Days to sell
- 17
- Sold over asking
- 81%
- Listings with a price cut
- 15%
Multi-family (2–4 units): 4 sold, typical $861K
Townhouses: 6 sold, typical $829K
Condos: 5 sold, typical $631K
Too few sales in 12 months for reliable figures.
Fewer homes sell than before 2022, at 1.5 times the 2016 price
180 sales in the last year, against 299 in 2021 and a low of 194 in 2023. The typical sale went from $776K in 2016 to $1.2M.
Source: Redfin Data Center, MLS sales. Typical price and $/sq ft are the monthly medians, weighted by sales.
What $1.2M buys in El Cerrito
Check a listing against what El Cerrito homes sold for
Against the town’s median price per square foot over the last 12 months. A rough check: condition, lot and location within town move a price more than this can see.
Bidding wars in El Cerrito are back to pre-pandemic levels, with about as many homes for sale
We read every month of El Cerrito’s home sales since 2012 so you don’t have to. Each figure covers 12 months, because a single month in a town is too few sales to mean much. Latest: the year to May 2026, 180 sales.
If you’re buying in El Cerrito
- Shop in October. It brings about 31 new listings a month, close to the busiest month, with fewer bidding wars (72% over asking).
- Less room to haggle. Only 15% of listings cut their price, against 19% before the pandemic.
- Expect to bid over asking. Buyers paid 119.2% of the list price on average; 79% paid over.
- You’ll usually have time. Only 43% of homes go under contract within two weeks; the typical one takes 18 days.
Fall brings the homes; summer brings the bidding wars
October has the most new listings (about 31 a month), but June is the most competitive: 89% of June sales close over asking. January has the least competition (68%) but only about 14 new listings.
Averages for each calendar month, 2015 on.
Nearly as heated as 2021, and hotter than California
| El Cerrito now | 2017–19 | 2021 peak | CA now | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold over askingShare of sales that closed above the list price | 79% | 82% | 86% | 36% |
| Gone within two weeksShare of homes under contract within 14 days | 43% | 42% | 59% | 31% |
| Listings with a price cutShare of homes for sale that cut their price | 15% | 19% | 17% | 24% |
| Price paid vs. askingAverage sale price ÷ list price | 119.2% | 114.3% | 122.7% | 99.7% |
| Days to sellMedian days from listing to contract | 18 | 16 | 13 | 44 |
18 homes for sale on a typical day
That’s about the 2017–19 level and well under 2012’s 26.
1 in 7 listings has cut its price
15% in the last year, against 19% in 2017–19 and 24% across California.
Houses and condos, year by year
A house typically sold for $1.3M in the last year (165 sales), a condo for $631K (5).
Median sale price, weighted by sales each month. Years with fewer than 4 sales of a type are left out.
El Cerrito ranks 3rd of 555 busy California markets for bidding wars
Share of sales over asking in the last year, among towns with 60 or more sales. El Cerrito is one of the state’s hottest markets.
Source: Redfin Data Center, city market tracker, January 2012 to May 2026 (MLS sales, not seasonally adjusted). Ratios are weighted by homes sold; price cuts by homes for sale.
Owning the typical El Cerrito home costs about $7,064 a month
Price: El Cerrito’s typical sale, last 12 months. Property tax at El Cerrito’s 0.8% (median bill ÷ median value, Census ACS); insurance at 0.35% of price a year. Before PMI, HOA dues, upkeep and the tax deduction. Whether El Cerrito is affordable on local pay is on Cost of living.
Six things worth knowing
New listings in October
The month with the most choice. December has the fewest, about 7.
Best time to buyProperty tax, a year
Of a home’s value: the median bill over the median home value. On a $1.2M home, about $9,960 a year.
Taxes vs. neighborsSchools
The schools grade for El Cerrito, from test results, graduation and how much students grow.
Schools in El CerritoTypical commute
The average one-way trip to work for people who live in El Cerrito.
Work & commuteCheck the flood map
Flood insurance isn’t in a standard policy, and lenders require it in FEMA flood zones. Check the address before you make an offer.
Natural hazardsLook up any property
Assessed value, lot size and every past sale of a home you’re eyeing are public, at the town or county assessor and the registry of deeds.
East Richmond Heights, San Pablo and Richmond sell for less a square foot; Albany for far more
The busier markets within 25 miles of El Cerrito, by what sold. Prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes next door are on Cost of living.
| Sold | Typical sale | $/sq ft | Over asking | Days to sell | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 755 | $646K | $465 | 49% | 31 |
| Berkeley | 646 | $1.4M | $883 | 74% | 17 |
| El Cerrito | 180 | $1.2M | $730 | 79% | 18 |
| San Pablo | 122 | $546K | $429 | 48% | 47 |
| Albany | 115 | $1.2M | $954 | 69% | 17 |
| Kensington | 62 | $1.6M | $852 | 89% | 18 |
| East Richmond Heights | 39 | $815K | $627 | 72% | 22 |
Redfin Data Center, June 2025 to May 2026. Towns with fewer than 20 sales are left out, and Redfin doesn’t report every town separately.
Post your home to El Cerrito, free
Selling it yourself, renting out an apartment or looking for a roommate? Post it to El Cerrito. People who follow the town see it, and so do people comparing El Cerrito with their own town. No commission, no listing fee.
Questions about buying a home in El Cerrito
What do homes sell for in El Cerrito, CA?
180 homes sold in the year to May 2026 at a typical $1.2M, $730 a square foot.
Is El Cerrito a buyer’s or seller’s market?
A seller’s market: 23 homes were for sale in May 2026 and 14 sold, about 1.6 months of supply. Buyers paid 119.2% of asking on average, and 15% of listings cut their price.
When is the best time to buy in El Cerrito?
October brings the most new listings. The sales history shows which months have fewer bidding wars.
How much are property taxes in El Cerrito?
About 0.8% of a home’s value a year. On a $1.2M home that’s near $9,960.
Where can I see homes for sale in El Cerrito?
Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Homes.com all carry El Cerrito’s MLS listings; the search links above open each one filtered to El Cerrito.
Sales, prices, days on market and listings: Redfin Data Center (MLS, monthly, not seasonally adjusted). Property tax rate: Census American Community Survey. Two-bedroom rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. Typical home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Schools grade: TownRatings (how grades work).