Photo: Mike Boucher · CC BY 2.0138 homes sold in Montecito in the last year, at a typical $6.5M
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 Montecito homes are listed.
Every place Montecito 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 Montecito.
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.
13% of Montecito’s sales are condos, at $3.5M less than a house
120 houses and 18 condos sold in the year to May 2026. Condos sell faster.
typical sale · 120 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $1,965CA $494
- Days to sell
- 99
- Sold over asking
- 8%
- Listings with a price cut
- 20%
typical sale · 18 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $2,131CA $561
- Days to sell
- 92
- Sold over asking
- 11%
- Listings with a price cut
- 23%
Fewer homes sell than before 2021, at twice the 2016 price
138 sales in the last year, against 274 in 2020 and a low of 108 in 2018. The typical sale went from $3.1M in 2016 to $6.5M.
Source: Redfin Data Center, MLS sales. Typical price and $/sq ft are the monthly medians, weighted by sales.
What $2M buys in Montecito
Check a listing against what Montecito 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 Montecito are back to pre-pandemic levels, but 41% fewer homes come up for sale
We read every month of Montecito’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, 138 sales.
If you’re buying in Montecito
- Shop in September. It brings about 20 new listings a month, close to the busiest month, with fewer bidding wars (9% over asking).
- You can negotiate. 20% of listings have cut their price, against 16% before the pandemic.
- Offer under asking. Buyers paid 95.9% of the list price on average; 9% paid over.
- You’ll usually have time. Only 26% of homes go under contract within two weeks; the typical one takes 92 days.
Spring brings the homes; winter brings the bidding wars
May has the most new listings (about 25 a month), but February is the most competitive: 26% of February sales close over asking. September offers nearly as much choice with fewer homes bid up (9%). September has the least competition (9%).
Averages for each calendar month, 2015 on.
Calmer than the 2021 frenzy, and calmer than California
| Montecito now | 2017–19 | 2021 peak | CA now | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold over askingShare of sales that closed above the list price | 9% | 7% | 31% | 36% |
| Gone within two weeksShare of homes under contract within 14 days | 26% | 22% | 50% | 31% |
| Listings with a price cutShare of homes for sale that cut their price | 20% | 16% | 11% | 24% |
| Price paid vs. askingAverage sale price ÷ list price | 95.9% | 94.4% | 99.8% | 99.7% |
| Days to sellMedian days from listing to contract | 92 | 123 | 63 | 44 |
64 homes for sale on a typical day
That’s 2.3 times the 2022 low (28), 41% fewer than in 2017–19 and well under 2019’s 128.
1 in 5 listings has cut its price
20% in the last year, against 16% in 2017–19 and 24% across California.
Since 2019, houses are up 115%, condos 126%
A house typically sold for $7.3M in the last year (120 sales), a condo for $3.8M (18).
Median sale price, weighted by sales each month. Years with fewer than 4 sales of a type are left out.
Montecito ranks 543rd of 555 busy California markets for bidding wars
Share of sales over asking in the last year, among towns with 60 or more sales. Montecito is one of the state’s calmer 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.
Five things worth knowing
New listings in May
The month with the most choice. December has the fewest, about 8.
Best time to buySchools
The schools grade for Montecito, from test results, graduation and how much students grow.
Schools in MontecitoTypical commute
The average one-way trip to work for people who live in Montecito.
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.
Toro Canyon, Santa Barbara, Mission Canyon, Carpinteria, Eastern Goleta Valley and Goleta sell for less a square foot
The busier markets within 25 miles of Montecito, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara | 599 | $1.9M | $1,224 | 23% | 51 |
| Eastern Goleta Valley | 243 | $1.8M | $958 | 27% | 45 |
| Goleta | 192 | $1.2M | $816 | 32% | 47 |
| Montecito | 138 | $6.5M | $1,977 | 9% | 92 |
| Carpinteria | 108 | $1.3M | $941 | 29% | 43 |
| Toro Canyon | 35 | $4.1M | $1,450 | 11% | 91 |
| Mission Canyon | 33 | $2.5M | $1,082 | 6% | 110 |
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 Montecito, free
Selling it yourself, renting out an apartment or looking for a roommate? Post it to Montecito. People who follow the town see it, and so do people comparing Montecito with their own town. No commission, no listing fee.
Questions about buying a home in Montecito
What do homes sell for in Montecito, CA?
138 homes sold in the year to May 2026 at a typical $6.5M, $1,977 a square foot. Houses sold for about $7.3M, condos for about $3.8M.
Is Montecito a buyer’s or seller’s market?
A balanced market: 61 homes were for sale in May 2026 and 13 sold, about 4.7 months of supply. Buyers paid 95.9% of asking on average, and 20% of listings cut their price.
When is the best time to buy in Montecito?
May brings the most new listings. The sales history shows which months have fewer bidding wars.
Where can I see homes for sale in Montecito?
Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Homes.com all carry Montecito’s MLS listings; the search links above open each one filtered to Montecito.
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).