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Featured local agent — Desert Palms, CA
Sarah Mitchell
Compass Real Estate · Desert Palms, CA
“Your trusted relocation specialist since 2009. 350+ homes sold. Zero-pressure, data-first approach.”
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Desert Palms, CA Housing Market
The last median sale price Redfin published was $512,450, +4.2% year over year (through May 2026). With 2.8 months of supply and homes going under contract in about 80 days, Desert Palms is a balanced market. At today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate, 20% down on a $512,450 home is about $2,635/mo in principal and interest.
Key numbers for Desert Palms, CA
Median sale price
$512,450
+4.2% year over year
Redfin, through May 2026
Days on market
80
Slow-moving
Redfin, through May 2026
Active listings
89
2.8 months of supply
Redfin, through May 2026
30-yr fixed rate
6.66%
Freddie Mac weekly average
Freddie Mac via FRED, August 2026
Median household income
$81,954
Home costs 6.3x income
U.S. Census ACS, 2023
Sale-to-list ratio
97.7%
Selling below asking
Redfin, through May 2026
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 Palms a buyer's or seller's market?
Desert Palms, CA is a balanced market, based on 2.8 months of supply and homes selling in about 80 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 Palms housing market data show?
Every row below is Redfin's final published month for Desert Palms, CA. Redfin, through May 2026
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Median sale price | $512,450 |
| Median list price | $539,900 |
| Year-over-year price change | +4.2% |
| Median price per sq ft | $282/sq ft |
| Median days on market | 80 days |
| Active inventory | 89 listings |
| Months of supply | 2.8 months |
| Sale-to-list price ratio | 97.7% |
| Homes sold (that month) | 32 |
| New listings (that month) | 23 |
| Listings with a price cut | 25.8% |
| 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 Palms is frozen at May 2026.
- Typical home value (ZHVI)
- Zillow's estimate of what a mid-market home in Desert Palms 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 Palms home prices moved?
Over the last three years the median sale price in Desert Palms, CA rose 2.5%, from $500,000 to $512,450. 25.8% of Desert Palms 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 2.8 months while the sale-to-list ratio slips below its current 97.7%. Watch those two together — they move before the median does.
Redfin, through May 2026 — the chart ends at Redfin's final published month.
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What does it cost to buy a home in Desert Palms?
Priced off the median sale price of $512,450 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% | $102,490 | $409,960 | $2,635/mo |
| 5% | $25,623 | $486,828 | $3,128/mo |
Redfin, through May 2026 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 $2,635, that implies roughly $112,908 a year before you add taxes and insurance. The median household in Desert Palms earns $81,954, about $30,954 short of that threshold — the typical local household needs a larger down payment, a co-borrower, or a home below the median sale price to fit the 28% rule. That puts the price-to-income ratio at 6.3x — well above the 3x that was historically considered affordable, which is why down payment size drives who can buy here.
Run it with your own numbers: affordability calculator · mortgage calculator
Buying in Desert Palms in the next 12 months?
Tell us your timeline. We send the Desert Palms 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 Palms?
Zillow does not publish a rent index (ZORI) for Desert Palms, 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 Palms?
Active listings in Desert Palms, CA went from 118 in May 2025 to 89 in May 2026, a -24.6% change. Falling inventory tightens competition. When supply drops while demand holds, sale-to-list ratios rise before the median sale price does.
| Month | Active listings | New listings |
|---|---|---|
| June 2025 | 111 | 21 |
| July 2025 | 99 | 21 |
| August 2025 | 100 | 23 |
| September 2025 | 96 | 26 |
| October 2025 | 106 | 35 |
| November 2025 | 106 | 20 |
| December 2025 | 99 | 27 |
| January 2026 | 116 | 38 |
| February 2026 | 122 | 34 |
| March 2026 | 116 | 39 |
| April 2026 | 104 | 34 |
| May 2026 | 89 | 23 |
Redfin, through May 2026
How does Desert Palms compare to California and the U.S.?
Desert Palms homes sell for $512,450 — 42% below the California median of $887,400. Against the national median of $410,700, Desert Palms runs 25% higher. Year-over-year, Desert Palms moved +4.2% against California's +3.4% — a bigger swing than the state as a whole.
| Market | Median sale price | YoY | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Palms, CA | $512,450 | +4.2% | 80 days |
| California statewide | $887,400 | +3.4% | 33 days |
| United States | $410,700 | not published | not published |
City and state rows: Redfin, through May 2026 · U.S. row: Freddie Mac via FRED, April 2026 (MSPUS, quarterly)
What to do next in Desert Palms
What buyers should watch
- Months of supply, currently 2.8. 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 25.8%. 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 $494 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 $512,450 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 Palms listing goes under contract in 80 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 97.7% of asking. Price to that ratio from day one rather than chasing the market down in cuts.
- In the last published month Desert Palms added 23 new listings against 32 sales — more clearing than arriving, which is the better window to list.
- Comparable ZIP-level pricing inside Desert Palms varies more than the citywide median suggests — check the ZIP pages below before you set a number.
Homes for sale in Desert Palms
There are currently 89 homes listed for sale in Desert Palms, California. The median listing price is $540K.
Active listings
89
Homes on market
Median list price
$540K
Avg. days on market
80
Days until sale
New this week
23
Newly listed
How much do homes cost in Desert Palms by property type?
How the Desert Palms, CA market breaks down across single-family homes, condos and townhouses. Redfin, through May 2026
| Property type | Median price | Price / sq ft | Homes sold | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family | $512,450 | $282/sq ft | 32 | 80 days |
| Condo / co-op | $365,000 | $348/sq ft | 1 | 91 days |
Who lives in Desert Palms?
American Community Survey estimates for Desert Palms. U.S. Census ACS, 2023
Population
6,522
Households
3,831
Median income
$81,954/yr
Median age
76.2 years
Owner-occupied
83.8%
Median home value
$526,500
Median gross rent
$2,175/mo
Mean commute
24.9 min
83.8% of occupied homes in Desert Palms 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 cities are near Desert Palms, CA?
Ordered by distance from Desert Palms, not by size. Compare Desert Palms side by side with any of them.
Desert Palms housing market FAQ
Is Desert Palms a buyer's or seller's market?
Desert Palms, CA is currently a balanced market. That read comes from 2.8 months of supply, homes going under contract in about 80 days, and sellers getting 97.7% of their asking price in the last month Redfin published (May 2026).
How much do homes cost in Desert Palms?
The median sale price in the last month Redfin published was $512,450, about $282 per square foot.
Is Desert Palms cheaper than the rest of California?
Desert Palms's median sale price of $512,450 is 42% lower than the California statewide median of $887,400, and 25% above the U.S. median of $410,700. Both figures are for the same period.
How long do homes take to sell in Desert Palms?
Homes in Desert Palms, CA spent a median of 80 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 Palms?
At the current 30-year fixed rate of 6.66%, 20% down on a $512,450 home is about $2,635 a month in principal and interest. Lenders typically want that under 28% of gross income, which works out to roughly $112,908 a year before taxes, insurance, HOA dues or mortgage insurance. The local median household income is $81,954.
Are home prices rising in Desert Palms?
Redfin's last published year-over-year change for Desert Palms, CA was +4.2%, measured through May 2026. That series is frozen; treat it as a historical reading rather than a current trend.
What are the cheapest ZIP codes in Desert Palms?
Desert Palms 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 Palms?
That depends on your timeline, not on a headline. What the data says today: Desert Palms, CA is a balanced market with 2.8 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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