Ernest Coxhead House · Photo: Eugene Zelenko · CC BY-SA 4.0837 homes sold in San Mateo in the last year, at a typical $1.6M
About one sale in 3 is a condo. 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 San Mateo homes are listed.
Every place San Mateo 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 San Mateo.
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.
A quarter of San Mateo’s sales are condos, at $1.3M less than a house
492 houses and 226 condos sold in the year to May 2026. Houses sell faster and draw more bidding wars.
typical sale · 492 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $1,254CA $494
- Days to sell
- 12
- Sold over asking
- 71%
- Listings with a price cut
- 29%
typical sale · 226 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $732CA $561
- Days to sell
- 50
- Sold over asking
- 21%
- Listings with a price cut
- 24%
Multi-family (2–4 units): 36 sold, typical $1.7M
Townhouses: 83 sold, typical $1.4M
Too few sales in 12 months for reliable figures.
About as many homes sell as usual, at 1.5 times the 2016 price
837 sales in the last year, against 1,225 in 2021 and a low of 720 in 2023. The typical sale went from $1.1M in 2016 to $1.6M.
Source: Redfin Data Center, MLS sales. Typical price and $/sq ft are the monthly medians, weighted by sales.
What $1.6M buys in San Mateo
Check a listing against what San Mateo 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 San Mateo are rarer than before the pandemic, and more homes are for sale
We read every month of San Mateo’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, 837 sales.
If you’re buying in San Mateo
- Shop in September. It brings about 105 new listings a month, close to the busiest month, with fewer bidding wars (63% over asking).
- You can negotiate. 25% of listings have cut their price, against 17% before the pandemic.
- Expect to bid over asking. Buyers paid 103.9% of the list price on average; 54% paid over.
- Move fast on good ones. Half of homes are under contract within two weeks.
Fall brings the homes; spring brings the bidding wars
September has the most new listings (about 105 a month), but May is the most competitive: 74% of May sales close over asking. December has the least competition (53%) but only about 29 new listings.
Averages for each calendar month, 2015 on.
Calmer than the 2021 frenzy, and hotter than California
| San Mateo now | 2017–19 | 2021 peak | CA now | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold over askingShare of sales that closed above the list price | 54% | 73% | 70% | 36% |
| Gone within two weeksShare of homes under contract within 14 days | 49% | 56% | 60% | 31% |
| Listings with a price cutShare of homes for sale that cut their price | 25% | 17% | 20% | 24% |
| Price paid vs. askingAverage sale price ÷ list price | 103.9% | 107.5% | 106.7% | 99.7% |
| Days to sellMedian days from listing to contract | 18 | 16 | 14 | 44 |
112 homes for sale on a typical day
That’s 1.6 times the 2017 low (70) and 38% more than in 2017–19.
1 in 4 listings has cut its price
25% in the last year, against 17% in 2017–19 and 24% across California. More sellers are pricing high and coming down.
Since 2019, houses are up 37%, condos -9%
A house typically sold for $2.1M in the last year (492 sales), a condo for $726K (226).
Median sale price, weighted by sales each month. Years with fewer than 4 sales of a type are left out.
San Mateo ranks 51st of 555 busy California markets for bidding wars
Share of sales over asking in the last year, among towns with 60 or more sales. San Mateo 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.
Five things worth knowing
New listings in September
The month with the most choice. December has the fewest, about 29.
Best time to buySchools
The schools grade for San Mateo, from test results, graduation and how much students grow.
Schools in San MateoTypical commute
The average one-way trip to work for people who live in San Mateo.
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.
Foster City sells for less a square foot; Hillsborough, Baywood Park, Highlands and Burlingame for far more
The busier markets within 25 miles of San Mateo, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo | 837 | $1.6M | $1,040 | 54% | 18 |
| Burlingame | 239 | $2.7M | $1,389 | 54% | 17 |
| Foster City | 227 | $1.6M | $948 | 50% | 25 |
| Belmont | 180 | $2.2M | $1,227 | 64% | 16 |
| Hillsborough | 137 | $6.2M | $1,511 | 37% | 24 |
| Highlands | 29 | $2.6M | $1,408 | 69% | 17 |
| Baywood Park | 26 | $2.8M | $1,346 | 73% | 44 |
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 San Mateo, free
Selling it yourself, renting out an apartment or looking for a roommate? Post it to San Mateo. People who follow the town see it, and so do people comparing San Mateo with their own town. No commission, no listing fee.
Questions about buying a home in San Mateo
What do homes sell for in San Mateo, CA?
837 homes sold in the year to May 2026 at a typical $1.6M, $1,040 a square foot. Houses sold for about $2.1M, condos for about $726K.
Is San Mateo a buyer’s or seller’s market?
A seller’s market: 117 homes were for sale in May 2026 and 88 sold, about 1.3 months of supply. Buyers paid 103.9% of asking on average, and 25% of listings cut their price.
When is the best time to buy in San Mateo?
September brings the most new listings. The sales history shows which months have fewer bidding wars.
Where can I see homes for sale in San Mateo?
Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Homes.com all carry San Mateo’s MLS listings; the search links above open each one filtered to San Mateo.
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).