Condo vs House
Condo vs House in Walnut Creek, CA: What Buyers Actually Pay (2026)
Updated November 10, 2026
Reviewed by:
Head of Growth at TurboHome
Head Agent, California · CalDRE #01997822
In Walnut Creek, condo prices rose faster than house prices, up 7.9% year over year against 3.9%, and Rossmoor, a 55+ community, accounts for 429 of the 616 condo sales. From November 2025 to October 2026, the median condo in Walnut Creek sold for $585,000 and the median house for $1,585,000. Condos cost 66% of the house price per square foot ($498 against $753), carried median HOA dues of $1,315 a month, and took 9 more days to sell (20 against 11).
TurboHome Market Analysis · Walnut Creek, CA · Closings Nov 2025 to Oct 2026 · Published November 2026
Condos made up 58% of the condo and house sales in our MLS feed (616 against 455). Below: the two types side by side, what the same bedroom count costs in each, the condo neighborhoods with the most sales, how prices moved over the year, what HOA dues pay for, and where buyers have room to negotiate.
Condo vs house in Walnut Creek at a glance
| Measure | Condo | House | Townhouse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closings | 616 | 455 | 125 |
| Median sale price | $585,000 | $1,585,000 | $854,000 |
| Median price per sq ft | $498 | $753 | $547 |
| Median size (sq ft) | 1,157 | 2,101 | Not reported |
| Median days on market | 20 | 11 | 15 |
| Median sale-to-list | 99.4% | 100.1% | 100.0% |
| Share closed below list | 51.9% | 36.9% | Not reported |
| Share with a price cut before sale | 31.8% | 18.5% | Not reported |
| Median monthly HOA dues | $1,315 (100% have dues) | n/a (11.4% have dues) | $595 |
Rossmoor, a 55+ community with bundled amenities, accounts for 429 of the 616 condo closings, which lifts the condo HOA median to $1,315 a month.
What the same budget buys: condo vs house by bedroom count
| Bedrooms | Median condo price (closings) | Median house price (closings) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $335,000 (93) | Too few sales |
| 2 bedrooms | $600,000 (459) | Too few sales |
| 3 bedrooms | $890,500 (55) | $1,345,000 (154) |
| 4 or more bedrooms | Too few sales | $1,700,000 (288) |
The widest gap is at 3 bedrooms: the median condo sold for $890,500 and the median house for $1,345,000. Rows marked "Too few sales" had fewer than 20 closings of that type.
Condo neighborhoods in Walnut Creek
Rossmoor dominates the condo market: 429 sales at a median $615,000, closing at exactly list price (100.0%) in 19 days. Outside it, Downtown Walnut Creek condos cost the most per square foot ($657) and also sold in a median 19 days, while North Civic was the cheapest ($277,500) and the slowest, at 54 days and 97.4% of list. None of these neighborhoods had enough house sales to compare.
| Neighborhood | Condo closings | Median condo price | Condo price per sq ft | Condo median days on market | Condo sale-to-list | Houses: median price (per sq ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rossmoor | 429 | $615,000 | $491 | 19 | 100.0% | Too few house sales |
| Hedgewood | 40 | $488,750 | $502 | 31 | 98.0% | Too few house sales |
| Downtown Walnut Creek | 32 | $687,875 | $657 | 19 | 98.3% | Too few house sales |
| North Civic | 32 | $277,500 | $350 | 54 | 97.4% | Too few house sales |
Neighborhoods with at least 20 condo closings, in order of condo sales. House figures appear only where a neighborhood had 12 or more house closings.
Are condo prices in Walnut Creek rising or falling?
The median condo price in Walnut Creek rose 7.9% year over year, from $542,000 to $585,000, while the median house price rose 3.9% ($1,525,000 to $1,585,000). Condos took a median 20 days to sell, down from 23, and 51.9% closed below list, against 48.4% a year earlier. The median townhouse sold for $854,000, against $895,750 a year earlier.
| Measure | Condos, Nov 2024 to Oct 2025 | Condos, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026 | Houses, Nov 2024 to Oct 2025 | Houses, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closings | 634 | 616 | 408 | 455 |
| Median sale price | $542,000 | $585,000 | $1,525,000 | $1,585,000 |
| Median price per sq ft | $502 | $498 | $745 | $753 |
| Median days on market | 23 | 20 | 12 | 11 |
| Median sale-to-list | 100.0% | 99.4% | 100.0% | 100.1% |
| Share closed below list | 48.4% | 51.9% | 42.2% | 36.9% |
| Share closed above list | 27.1% | 27.4% | 45.3% | 51.4% |
HOA dues and what they cover
The median condo in Walnut Creek paid $1,315 a month in HOA dues, and 100% of condo sales had dues. The median townhouse paid $595 a month. Only 11.4% of houses had dues.
The $1,315 condo median is weighted by Rossmoor, a 55+ community whose dues bundle its amenities, so it is not a typical figure for a condo outside Rossmoor. Townhouses, at a median $595 a month, are a better guide to dues in the rest of the city. Outside Rossmoor, compare the budget and the reserve study building by building.
Should you buy a condo or a house in Walnut Creek?
51.9% of condos closed below list and 31.8% had a price cut before selling, against 36.9% and 18.5% of houses. 51.4% of houses sold above list, against 27.4% of condos. The median condo closed at 98.1% of its original asking price and the median house at 100.0%. That makes condos the place to negotiate in Walnut Creek, and houses the place to expect competition.
A buyer's agent should price a condo offer from recent sales in the same building or complex, the HOA's budget and reserves, and how long the listing has sat, and a house offer from street-level comps and how many buyers are competing for it. TurboHome's licensed agents in Walnut Creek do both, for a flat fee: see how TurboHome's flat fee works.
Methodology
We looked at closed sales in Walnut Creek from our MLS feed, closed November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2026, compared with November 1, 2024 through October 31, 2025. A condo is a home listed as a condominium, a house is a home listed as a single-family residence, and townhouses are shown separately only where there were 50 or more closings. Sales under $50,000 are excluded, and days on market counts only values from 0 to 730 days. Figures are medians. Sale-to-list is the closing price divided by the final list price; a price cut means the final list price was below the original list price; "closed at its original asking price" divides the closing price by the original list price. HOA dues are the monthly figure on the listing.
Neighborhoods need at least 20 condo closings to appear, and house figures appear only where a neighborhood had 12 or more house closings. Bedroom-count cells with fewer than 20 closings are left out.
Rossmoor, a 55+ community with bundled amenities, accounts for 429 of the 616 condo closings and lifts the condo HOA median.
For national context, Redfin reported on October 6, 2025: "There were an estimated 72.3% more condo sellers than buyers (108,945 more) nationwide in August." The figures on this page are TurboHome's own, from closed sales in Walnut Creek.
FAQ
Why are condos in Walnut Creek cheaper per square foot than houses?
In Walnut Creek, condos sold for a median $498 a square foot against $753 for houses, so condo space cost 66% of the house price per square foot. A house price includes its own land and room to add space, while a condo shares land, walls and a roof with other owners and comes with monthly HOA dues, which buyers weigh against the price.
How much are condo HOA fees in Walnut Creek?
The median condo in Walnut Creek paid $1,315 a month in HOA dues, and 100% of condo sales had dues. The median townhouse paid $595 a month. Only 11.4% of houses had dues.
Do condos take longer to sell than houses in Walnut Creek?
Yes. Condos took a median 20 days to sell from November 2025 to October 2026, against 11 for houses. A year earlier the medians were 23 and 12 days.
Is a buyer's agent rebate worth it in Walnut Creek?
For most buyers, yes: the buyer-side commission is a percentage of the price, so the part refunded at closing grows with the price of the condo or house you buy. TurboHome is a flat-fee buyer's brokerage that refunds the rest of the buyer-side commission to you at closing. Compare the companies that refund the buyer's agent commission in California.
Is now a good time to buy a condo in Walnut Creek?
The median condo price in Walnut Creek rose 7.9% year over year, to $585,000, and 31.8% of condos took a price cut before selling, with 51.9% closing below list. Rising prices mean waiting has cost condo buyers over the past year; price cuts still show which listings have sat long enough to negotiate. Buying the right unit at the right price matters more than timing the market.
Related guides
- Condo vs house prices by city
- HOA fees in Walnut Creek
- Companies that refund the buyer's agent commission in California
- How TurboHome's flat fee works
- Bay Area home buying guides
- California home buying guides
About the Author
Vinura Abeysundara
Vinura Abeysundara is a real estate and growth professional with experience scaling homebuying platforms across Canada and the United States. Formerly Head of Growth at Zown, he now works with TurboHome and writes about homebuyer savings, flat-fee real estate, commissions, and technology in real estate.
View Vinura on LinkedInAbout Kevin Kretzmer
Head Agent, California
Kevin Kretzmer leads TurboHome's California agent team and reviews California and national buyer guidance for practical brokerage accuracy.
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