Carmel Highlands real estate market stats
For November 2025 through October 2026, Carmel Highlands single-family homes recorded 15 sales, compared with 17 in the prior 12 months. The average of monthly median sale prices was $4.93M, up 37.9% from $3.58M, while the average sale price was $4.59M, up 1.8% from $4.51M. Price per square foot averaged $1,654, and median days to sell averaged 89, down from 119. Inventory stood at 9.7 months. From January through October 2026, there were 13 sales totaling $56.4M, compared with 15 sales and $67.0M in the same ten months of 2025.
These statistics cover single-family homes in the Point Lobos, Lobos Ridge, Highlands Inn, Malpaso and Otter Cove/Yankee Point MLS areas; condos and land are excluded.
Carmel Highlands is a very small market, averaging about 18 single-family sales per year from 2002 through 2025, with annual totals over the last ten full years ranging from 12 to 35. Many months have one or two sales or none at all, so a single transaction can swing monthly figures sharply. Charts default to a trailing 12-month rolling view to smooth that noise.
January–October 2026 vs 2025
From January through October 2026, Carmel Highlands recorded 13 single-family sales totaling $56.4M, compared with 15 sales totaling $67.0M over the same ten months of 2025, a 15.8% decline in dollar volume. The average sale price was $4.34M, down 2.8% from $4.47M. The average of monthly median prices was $4.75M, compared with $3.26M; this figure averages the seven months with sales in 2026 and the eight in 2025.
| 2026 | 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes sold | 13 | 15 | â–¼ 13.3% |
| Sales dollar volume | $56.4M | $67.0M | â–¼ 15.8% |
| Average sale price (volume ÷ sales) | $4.34M | $4.47M | ▼ 2.8% |
| Median sale price (avg of monthly medians) | $4.75M | $3.26M | â–² 45.7% |
| Price per sq ft (avg of months) | $1,592 | $1,236 | â–² 28.8% |
| Sale price vs original asking price | 92.2% | 85.4% | – |
| New listings | 27 | 26 | â–² 3.8% |
| Expired listings | 4 | 3 | â–² 33.3% |
From July through September 2026, there were 4 sales totaling $27.9M, compared with 3 sales totaling $9.7M in July through September 2025; with so few sales, one transaction can shift quarterly volume substantially.
See market stats for every Peninsula area I cover on the Monterey Peninsula market stats page.
Explore the market
Explore 20 market stats, month by month from January 2002 through October 2026 (298 months). Switch the time range, view raw months, or see prices in today’s dollars.
Carmel Highlands, in plain numbers
These statistics cover single-family homes in the Point Lobos, Lobos Ridge, Highlands Inn, Malpaso and Otter Cove/Yankee Point MLS areas from January 2002 through October 2026. Condos and land are not included. The default view is a 12-month rolling view. Because Carmel Highlands has few sales and many months with none, monthly figures are sparse and should be read with caution.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median home price in Carmel Highlands?
For November 2025 through October 2026, the average of monthly median sale prices for Carmel Highlands single-family homes was $4.93M, up 37.9% from $3.58M in the prior 12 months. This figure averages the medians of the eight months with sales, not a single median of all 15 sales.
How is the Carmel Highlands market doing in 2026 so far?
From January through October 2026, there were 13 single-family sales totaling $56.4M, compared with 15 sales totaling $67.0M in the same ten months of 2025. The average sale price was $4.34M, compared with $4.47M a year earlier.
Are Carmel Highlands home prices going up or down?
Both price measures rose, but by different amounts. Over the latest 12 months, the average of monthly medians rose 37.9% to $4.93M, while the average sale price rose 1.8% to $4.59M. With only 15 sales, these figures can diverge.
What is the price per square foot in Carmel Highlands?
Price per square foot averaged $1,654 for November 2025 through October 2026, up 34.9% from $1,226 in the prior 12 months. The figure averages the months with sales and can move sharply in a small market.
How long does it take to sell a home in Carmel Highlands?
The average of monthly median days to sell was 89 for November 2025 through October 2026, down 25.4% from 119 in the prior 12 months. For January through October 2026, it was 81 days, compared with 129 for the same period in 2025.
How does the final sale price compare with the asking price?
From January through October 2026, Carmel Highlands homes sold for an average of 95.1% of final list price and 92.2% of original list price. For the same months of 2025, those figures were 93.8% and 85.4%.
How many homes sell in Carmel Highlands each year?
Carmel Highlands averaged about 18 single-family sales per year from 2002 through 2025, with 17 sales in 2025. Over the last ten full years, annual sales ranged from 12 to 35, and 13 homes sold from January through October 2026.
Is Carmel Highlands a buyer’s or seller’s market?
Inventory stood at 9.7 months for November 2025 through October 2026, down from 10.9 months in the prior 12 months. A common rule of thumb treats about six months of inventory as balanced, so the current figure sits above that mark, though small sales counts make this measure volatile.
Related area guides
Single-family homes, MLS data compiled by Jonathan Balog, Broker Associate, DRE 01980970, Compass. Jan 2002 – October 2026. Inflation adjustment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (series CUUR0000SA0). Household income: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), median household income, Monterey County, 2002–2024; later years use the 2024 estimate. The median figure is the average of nonblank monthly medians, not a single median of all transactions; the latest 12-month figure averages eight months with sales, and the 2026 year-to-date figure averages seven. Price per square foot, days to sell and list-price ratios are likewise averages of nonblank monthly figures, while the average sale price is weighted by sales: total dollar volume divided by total sales. The weighted average can therefore fall below the average of monthly medians, as it does here. Months with no sales are left blank rather than recorded as zero and are omitted from rolling averages; sales counts and dollar volume still show zero. Listing-price fields are blank in the source for 15 months, which does not mean those months had no active listings; the blanks are left as reported. A review of original-price ratios found no suspect values; one month flagged for review (February 2022) had matching original and final ratios and was retained. Where the CPI cache had gaps (October 2025 and October 2026), the prior available month’s CPI was carried forward. Headline inventory is average active listings divided by average monthly sales over the 12 months; the inventory chart averages monthly MLS inventory readings and can differ from that headline. I pull the underlying market statistics directly from MLSListings and have not corrected or edited the source numbers. Unusual readings or inconsistencies may reflect the data entered by listing agents.