How Much Over Asking

How Much Over Asking Should You Offer in Sacramento? What Buyers Actually Paid

Updated November 4, 2026

By Vinura Abeysundara

Head of Growth at TurboHome

Reviewed by:

Vinura Abeysundara

Head of Growth at TurboHome

Kevin Kretzmer

Head Agent, California · CalDRE #01997822

The median home in Sacramento closed at list price between May and October 2026, and 52.5% of the 101 closings in our MLS feed sold above the asking price. When buyers did pay over asking, the typical winning offer was 2.1% over list, about $10,000 on a median $440,000 home, while 30.7% of buyers paid less than asking. Whether you should offer over list in Sacramento depends on the neighborhood, the price tier and how long the home has been listed, and the sections below give the numbers for each.

TurboHome Market Analysis · Sacramento, CA · Closings May through October 2026 · Published November 2026

Key findings

Median close: 100.0% of list (at list price), and 0.2% below original asking.
Over, at or under: 52.5% of homes sold above list, 16.8% exactly at list and 30.7% below list.
Size of the premium: when buyers paid over asking, the median premium was 2.1% over list ($10,000), and the 90th percentile closing was 105.1% of list.
Neighborhoods paying the most: Meadowview (median 100.0% of list) and Parkway (100.0%).
Most competitive price tier: homes under $500k, where 58.9% of 73 closings sold above list at a median 101.0% of list.
Price cuts: 32.7% of closings had at least one price cut before the sale, so a below-list offer is a normal opening move on a listing that has sat.

Sacramento offers vs asking: the numbers

Closings in Sacramento in our MLS feed, May through October 2026, all home types. Sacramento figures cover six months of closings instead of three because the city sample in our feed is small.

Sacramento offers vs asking: the numbers, data table
Metric	Value
Closings analyzed	101
Median close vs list	100.0% of list (at list price)
Median close vs original asking	0.2% below original asking
Share sold above list	52.5%
Share sold at list	16.8%
Share sold below list	30.7%
Median premium when sold over list	2.1% over list ($10,000)
Median discount when sold under list	$9,000 under list
75th percentile close vs list	102.1% of list
90th percentile close vs list	105.1% of list
Median days on market	19
Share with a price cut before closing	32.7%

Share of closings. Every figure is in the table below.

"Close vs list" compares the sale price with the asking price at the time the offer was accepted, so price cuts made earlier are already baked into the list price. The 90th percentile (105.1% of list in Sacramento) shows what the most competitive one in ten offers looked like. A high share of price cuts means list prices are being negotiated down before the sale; in Sacramento, 32.7% of closings had at least one cut.

What a winning offer looked like by price tier

Sacramento: what a winning offer looked like by price tier, data table
Price tier	Closings	Median close as % of list	Share sold above list
Under $500k	73	101.0%	58.9%
$500k to $750k	26	100.0%	38.5%

Homes under $500k were the most competitive in Sacramento, with 58.9% of 73 closings sold above list at a median 101.0% of list. The $500k to $750k tier was the least competitive, with 38.5% sold above list and a median closing at 100.0% of list.

Houses vs condos: where the bidding is

Sacramento: houses vs condos and townhomes, data table
Home type	Closings	Median close as % of list	Share sold above list
Single family	91	100.2%	54.9%
Condos and townhomes	9	99.1%	33.3%

Single family homes in Sacramento closed at a median 100.2% of list, and 54.9% sold above asking. Condos and townhomes (9 closings, a small sample) closed at a median 99.1% of list with 33.3% above asking, so the bidding is heaviest on single family homes.

Sacramento neighborhoods where buyers pay the most over asking (and the least)

Neighborhoods with at least 5 closings in our feed, May through October 2026.

Neighborhoods where Sacramento buyers paid the most over asking, data table
Neighborhood	Closings	Median close as % of list	Share sold above list	Median sale price
Meadowview	9	100.0%	44.4%	$447,000
Parkway	5	100.0%	40.0%	$410,000

Only Meadowview and Parkway had at least 5 closings in our feed, so there is no table of Sacramento neighborhoods where buyers paid the least.

Meadowview and Parkway in south Sacramento both closed at a median 100.0% of list, with 44.4% and 40.0% of sales above asking. With so few closings per neighborhood, the price tier table is the better guide for most of the city.

Days on market changes the answer

In Sacramento, 43.6% of closings went under contract within 14 days, and those homes closed at a median 101.5% of list with 65.9% above asking. Homes that took more than 30 days closed at a median 100.0% of list, and 36.8% sold above asking.

Sacramento: what homes closed at by time on market, data table
Time to go under contract	Median close as % of list	Share sold above list
Within 14 days	101.5%	65.9%
More than 30 days	100.0%	36.8%

A home still active after 30 days in Sacramento is where below-list offers succeed, because the seller has watched the market pass the home by. A new listing in a hot neighborhood is where the premium is paid, because that is where the competing offers land in the first two weeks.

Is Sacramento getting more or less competitive?

Month by month in our feed, Oct 2025 to Oct 2026.

Share sold above list. Every figure is in the table below.

Sacramento: share sold above list and median close as % of list, by month, data table
Month	Share sold above list	Median close as % of list
Oct 2025	33%	100.0%
Nov 2025	32%	100.0%
Dec 2025	40%	100.0%
Jan 2026	50%	100.0%
Feb 2026	36%	100.0%
Mar 2026	45%	100.0%
Apr 2026	48%	100.0%
May 2026	63%	101.2%
Jun 2026	48%	100.0%
Jul 2026	58%	100.9%
Aug 2026	60%	100.2%
Sep 2026	50%	100.0%
Oct 2026	36%	100.0%

Sacramento: May to Oct 2025 vs May to Oct 2026, data table
Metric	Year ago (May to Oct 2025)	Now (May to Oct 2026)
Median close as % of list	100.0%	100.0%
Share sold above list	34.2%	52.5%
Median days on market	21	19
Median dollars over list (sales above list)	$6,000	$10,000

The share of homes sold over asking was 33% in October 2025 (median close 100.0% of list) and 36% in October 2026 (median close 100.0% of list), with a 13-month peak of 63% in May 2026. By the share of homes selling over asking, Sacramento is more competitive than a year ago, with 52.5% of closings above list from May through October 2026 against 34.2% from May through October 2025.

Why Sacramento buyers land right at asking

Sacramento closings in our feed are a small sample (101 sales over six months), so treat these figures as directional. The median closing was at list price, 52.5% of homes sold above asking, and among those the median premium was 2.1% over, about $10,000 on a $440,000 median home. Homes under $500,000 closed 1.0% over list with 58.9% above asking, while the $500,000 to $750,000 tier closed at list with 38.5% above. Meadowview and Parkway in south Sacramento were the only neighborhoods with enough closings to report, and both cleared at list with 40% to 44% selling over. The share of homes selling over asking rose from 34.2% a year earlier to 52.5%, so the entry level here has tightened even as higher tiers stayed flat.

The national picture

Nationally, Redfin's housing market update published October 29, 2026 (four weeks ending October 25, 2026) reported that 23.2% of U.S. homes sold above list price, the average sale-to-list ratio was 98.3%, 21.5% of listings had a price drop, pending sales were at the lowest level in Redfin's records and the median sale price fell 0.1% year over year, the first decline in more than three years.

In Sacramento, 52.5% of homes sold above list and the median closing was at list price, so Sacramento is far more competitive than the national market.

How to decide what to offer in Sacramento

Start from the neighborhood table, not the citywide median. The median Sacramento home closed at 100.0% of list, but only Meadowview and Parkway had enough closings to report, so lean on the price tier table and recent sales nearby.
Check the days on market and the price-cut history of the listing. 32.7% of Sacramento closings had a price cut before the sale, and a cut signals room below list. Homes that took more than 30 days closed at a median 100.0% of list.
Size the offer to the home. On a hot listing, the 75th percentile (102.1% of list) and the 90th percentile (105.1%) show what a competitive offer looked like. On a stale one, the median discount on below-list sales ($9,000 under list) is a sensible place to open.
Ask the listing agent how many offers are in and whether there is an offer date. An offer date means the seller is planning for competing bids, so your first offer should be your best one.
Have your agent pull the last five closings on the same street before you name a number. Recent sales next door beat any citywide figure, including the ones on this page.

Methodology

We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in Sacramento from our MLS feed, closed May through October 2026, with the same months of 2025 for the year-over-year comparison. "Close vs list" is the closing price divided by the list price in effect when the offer was accepted; "close vs original asking" uses the first list price. "Sold above list" means the closing price exceeded the list price by any amount. Neighborhood tables require at least 5 closings. Sales under $50,000 are excluded. Figures are medians unless stated. Published November 2026. Sacramento uses six months of closings (May through October 2026, against May through October 2025 a year earlier) because the city sample is small, 101 sales, so treat its figures as directional.

Frequently asked questions

How much over asking do you need to offer in Sacramento?

The median Sacramento home closed at list price (100.0% of list) between May and October 2026. When buyers paid over asking, the median premium was 2.1% over list, or $10,000. A quarter of homes closed at 102.1% of list or higher, and the most competitive one in ten closed at 105.1% of list or higher.

Do homes in Sacramento sell over asking price?

Yes, most do. 52.5% of Sacramento homes in our feed sold above list between May and October 2026, 16.8% sold exactly at list and 30.7% sold below. A year earlier, 34.2% sold above list.

Which Sacramento neighborhoods get the most offers over asking?

No Sacramento neighborhood shows a clear premium in our feed. Meadowview (9 closings, median 100.0% of list, 44.4% sold above asking) and Parkway (5 closings, median 100.0% of list, 40.0% sold above asking) were the only neighborhoods with at least 5 closings.

Can you offer under asking in Sacramento?

Yes, on some homes. 30.7% of Sacramento homes sold below list, at a median $9,000 under list, and 32.7% of closings had at least one price cut before the sale. Homes that took more than 30 days to go under contract closed at a median 100.0% of list, with 36.8% selling above asking.

Is Sacramento more competitive than last year?

Yes. 34.2% of Sacramento homes sold above list from May through October 2025, against 52.5% from May through October 2026, and the median closing moved from 100.0% to 100.0% of list.

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