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Featured local agent — Desert Center, CA
Sarah Mitchell
Compass Real Estate · Desert Center, CA
“Your trusted relocation specialist since 2009. 350+ homes sold. Zero-pressure, data-first approach.”
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Desert Center, CA Housing Market
The last median sale price Redfin published was $226,000 (through May 2026). With 2.0 months of supply and homes going under contract in about 171 days, Desert Center is a balanced market. At today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate, 20% down on a $226,000 home is about $1,162/mo in principal and interest.
Key numbers for Desert Center, CA
Median sale price
$226,000
Last published period
Redfin, through December 2025
Days on market
171
Slow-moving
Redfin, through December 2025
Active listings
2
2.0 months of supply
Redfin, through December 2025
30-yr fixed rate
6.66%
Freddie Mac weekly average
Freddie Mac via FRED, August 2026
Median household income
$72,857
Home costs 3.1x income
U.S. Census ACS, 2023
Sale-to-list ratio
82.2%
Selling below asking
Redfin, through December 2025
Zillow figures refresh monthly. Redfin figures are through May 2026 — Redfin stopped publishing its public market trackers in June 2026, so those numbers are final, not current. Mortgage rates come from Freddie Mac via FRED and update weekly.
Is Desert Center a buyer's or seller's market?
Desert Center, CA is a balanced market, based on 2.0 months of supply and homes selling in about 171 days. Under 4 months of supply tilts the market toward sellers: homes clear faster than they are replaced, so concessions are scarce.
Inputs are Redfin's final published period (May 2026). How we classify markets · Where the data comes from
What does the Desert Center housing market data show?
Every row below is Redfin's final published month for Desert Center, CA. Redfin, through December 2025
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Median sale price | $226,000 |
| Median list price | $191,000 |
| Median price per sq ft | $195/sq ft |
| Median days on market | 171 days |
| Active inventory | 2 listings |
| Months of supply | 2.0 months |
| Sale-to-list price ratio | 82.2% |
| Homes sold (that month) | 1 |
| New listings (that month) | 1 |
| Listings with a price cut | 50.0% |
| Market condition | Balanced market |
How to read these numbers
- Median sale price
- Half the homes that closed sold for more than this, half for less. It moves with what kind of home sold that month, so a quiet month with two big sales can swing it. Redfin's figure for Desert Center is frozen at May 2026.
- Typical home value (ZHVI)
- Zillow's estimate of what a mid-market home in Desert Center is worth right now, whether or not it sold. It is smoother than the median sale price and it still refreshes monthly, which is why this page leads with it.
- Months of supply
- How long it would take to sell every active listing at the current pace. Under 3 favors sellers, over 6 favors buyers, and 3 to 6 is the balanced band.
- Days on market
- Median time from listing to accepted offer. Short means you should have financing ready before you tour; long means there is room to negotiate on price and repairs.
- Sale-to-list ratio
- Sale price divided by the last asking price. Above 100% means bidding above asking is normal here; below 100% means the typical buyer got a discount.
- Price per square foot
- The size-adjusted price. Use it to compare a 1,400 sq ft house to a 2,600 sq ft house, not to value your own home — lot, condition and age move it a lot.
- Listings with a price cut
- Share of active listings that dropped their asking price in the month. A high share is the earliest visible sign that sellers are ahead of what buyers will pay.
- Typical asking rent (ZORI)
- Zillow's repeat-rent index for asking rents on new leases. Paired with the home value it gives the price-to-rent ratio in the rent-vs-buy section below.
How have Desert Center home prices moved?
Across the 13 months we hold for Desert Center, CA, the median sale price rose 32.9%, from $170,000 in April 2021 to $226,000. 50.0% of Desert Center listings cut their asking price in the final Redfin month — a high share, and the clearest sign that list prices were running ahead of what buyers would pay. For prices to fall meaningfully from here, supply would have to keep building past 2.0 months while the sale-to-list ratio slips below its current 82.2%. Watch those two together — they move before the median does.
Redfin, through December 2025 — the chart ends at Redfin's final published month.
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What does it cost to buy a home in Desert Center?
Priced off the median sale price of $226,000 at the current 6.66% 30-year fixed rate. These are principal and interest only — property taxes, homeowner's insurance, HOA dues and mortgage insurance are on top, and they vary enough by property that we will not guess them for you.
| Down payment | Cash at close | Loan amount | Monthly P&I |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | $45,200 | $180,800 | $1,162/mo |
| 5% | $11,300 | $214,700 | $1,380/mo |
Redfin, through December 2025 for the price · Freddie Mac via FRED, August 2026 for the rate
What income do you need?
Lenders generally want housing costs under 28% of gross income. On the 20%-down payment of $1,162, that implies roughly $49,794 a year before you add taxes and insurance. The median household in Desert Center earns $72,857, about $23,063 more than that threshold — the typical local household clears the payment on a typical local home with 20% down. That puts the price-to-income ratio at 3.1x — close to the historical 3x norm, which is unusual in 2026.
Run it with your own numbers: affordability calculator · mortgage calculator
Buying in Desert Center in the next 12 months?
Tell us your timeline. We send the Desert Center market brief: the price ranges that actually clear, how long homes sit, and what to fix on your credit before you apply.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Desert Center?
Zillow does not publish a rent index (ZORI) for Desert Center, CA, so we cannot compute a price-to-rent ratio here without borrowing a nearby market's rents and calling them local — which we will not do. The rent vs. buy calculator works with a rent figure you supply.
Is inventory rising or falling in Desert Center?
Active listings in Desert Center, CA went from 1 in April 2022 to 2 in December 2025, a +100.0% change. Rising inventory is the single most useful leading indicator for buyers: more choice, longer marketing times, and more sellers willing to negotiate before price cuts show up in the median.
| Month | Active listings | New listings |
|---|---|---|
| April 2022 | 1 | not published |
| February 2023 | 2 | 2 |
| March 2023 | 1 | not published |
| August 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| November 2023 | 2 | 1 |
| December 2023 | 1 | not published |
| May 2024 | 1 | not published |
| January 2025 | 1 | not published |
| November 2025 | 1 | not published |
| December 2025 | 2 | 1 |
Redfin, through December 2025
How does Desert Center compare to California and the U.S.?
Desert Center homes sell for $226,000 — 75% below the California median of $887,400. Against the national median of $410,700, Desert Center runs 45% lower.
| Market | Median sale price | YoY | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Center, CA | $226,000 | not published | 171 days |
| California statewide | $887,400 | +3.4% | 33 days |
| United States | $410,700 | not published | not published |
City and state rows: Redfin, through December 2025 · U.S. row: Freddie Mac via FRED, April 2026 (MSPUS, quarterly)
What to do next in Desert Center
What buyers should watch
- Months of supply, currently 2.0. It turns before price does — when it climbs past 6, sellers start taking offers they would have rejected a quarter earlier.
- The share of listings cutting price, currently 50.0%. A listing that has already cut once is the one most likely to accept below asking.
- The gap between 5% and 20% down here is $218 a month in principal and interest alone, before mortgage insurance. That gap, not the price, is usually what decides your timeline.
- Rate moves. At 6.66%, every full point of rate change moves the payment on a $226,000 home more than a 5% price change does.
- Your credit tier before you shop, not after — it sets the rate you are quoted. Run your numbers first.
What sellers should know
- The median Desert Center listing goes under contract in 171 days. If yours passes that mark, the market is telling you the price is wrong — not that you need more showings.
- Homes here close at 82.2% of asking. Price to that ratio from day one rather than chasing the market down in cuts.
- In the last published month Desert Center added 1 new listings against 1 sales — more clearing than arriving, which is the better window to list.
- Comparable ZIP-level pricing inside Desert Center varies more than the citywide median suggests — check the ZIP pages below before you set a number.
Homes for sale in Desert Center
There are currently 2 homes listed for sale in Desert Center, California. The median listing price is $191K.
Active listings
2
Homes on market
Median list price
$191K
Avg. days on market
171
Days until sale
New this week
1
Newly listed
How much do homes cost in Desert Center by property type?
How the Desert Center, CA market breaks down across single-family homes, condos and townhouses. Redfin, through December 2025
| Property type | Median price | Price / sq ft | Homes sold | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family | $226,000 | $195/sq ft | 1 | 171 days |
Who lives in Desert Center?
American Community Survey estimates for Desert Center. U.S. Census ACS, 2023
Population
167
Households
64
Median income
$72,857/yr
Median age
49.2 years
Owner-occupied
67.2%
Median home value
$221,200
Median gross rent
$1,192/mo
Mean commute
12.2 min
67.2% of occupied homes in Desert Center are owner-occupied, and the rest are rented — which is the share that decides how much of the local housing stock ever reaches the for-sale market.
Which public schools serve Desert Center?
1 schools tracked · 25 students
The largest public schools serving Desert Center, CA by enrollment, drawn from the National Center for Education Statistics. School quality is a commonly cited factor in home-buying decisions — these are the campuses families in this area are most likely to encounter.
Eagle Mountain Elementary
Grades K-8 · 25 students
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data directory. Updated annually. Ratings and test scores are not currently displayed.
Which cities are near Desert Center, CA?
Ordered by distance from Desert Center, not by size. Compare Desert Center side by side with any of them.
Desert Center housing market FAQ
Is Desert Center a buyer's or seller's market?
Desert Center, CA is currently a balanced market. That read comes from 2.0 months of supply, homes going under contract in about 171 days, and sellers getting 82.2% of their asking price in the last month Redfin published (May 2026).
How much do homes cost in Desert Center?
The median sale price in the last month Redfin published was $226,000, about $195 per square foot.
Is Desert Center cheaper than the rest of California?
Desert Center's median sale price of $226,000 is 75% lower than the California statewide median of $887,400, and 45% below the U.S. median of $410,700. Both figures are for the same period.
How long do homes take to sell in Desert Center?
Homes in Desert Center, CA spent a median of 171 days on market before going under contract, versus 33 days statewide. Over two months means buyers have time to inspect, compare and negotiate. (Redfin, through May 2026.)
What income do you need to buy a home in Desert Center?
At the current 30-year fixed rate of 6.66%, 20% down on a $226,000 home is about $1,162 a month in principal and interest. Lenders typically want that under 28% of gross income, which works out to roughly $49,794 a year before taxes, insurance, HOA dues or mortgage insurance. The local median household income is $72,857.
Are home prices rising in Desert Center?
We do not hold a complete 12-month value series for Desert Center, CA yet, so we are not going to call a direction. The price chart above shows every period we do have.
What are the cheapest ZIP codes in Desert Center?
Desert Center ZIP-level sale prices are not all published for the same period, so ranking them would compare different months. The ZIP pages listed on this page show what we hold for each one individually.
Is now a good time to buy in Desert Center?
That depends on your timeline, not on a headline. What the data says today: Desert Center, CA is a balanced market with 2.0 months of supply, the 30-year fixed rate is 6.66%. Properties Incorporated publishes the data; it does not give financial advice.
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One email: what homes are actually clearing at around $226,000, how long they sit, which ZIPs run cheaper, and what to fix on your credit before you apply.