08/19/2026
WHAT JULY'S CLOSINGS ACTUALLY SAY ABOUT THE BAY AREA MARKET
There is a widespread belief right now that homes are not selling. The July closing data across the Bay Area tells a different story, and it is worth walking through carefully rather than reducing to a headline.
⏱️ Sales held steady. Speed improved.
751 single-family homes closed across the Bay Area in July 2026, compared to 754 in July 2025. That is a difference of three homes out of more than seven hundred. Flat.
What changed is how quickly those homes sold. Median days on market fell from 41.5 days to 32 days. The median sales price rose to $368,000, up 2.2% year over year. Total sales volume reached $321.9 million, up 3.3%.
Same number of transactions, higher prices, and nine and a half fewer days to get there.
📊 Nearly half of all homes sold in 30 days or less.
This is the single most useful figure in the report for anyone weighing a move.
In July 2025, 327 homes sold in 30 days or less. That was 43.4% of the market.
In July 2026, 371 homes sold in 30 days or less. That is 49.4% of the market.
Forty four more fast sales in a market where total sales did not grow at all. The share of homes selling inside a month climbed six full percentage points in twelve months.
Here is the detail worth sitting with. Within that group of fast sellers, the median days on market was 10 days in 2025 and 10 days again in 2026. Homes that are priced, prepared and marketed correctly are not simply selling. They are selling in about a week and a half. That number did not move. What moved is how many homes now land in that category.
📍 Where the volume is
Six cities carried the large majority of July closings.
📍 Pearland led with 133 sales, up 3.9% year over year, at a median price of $390,000. Just over 60% of Pearland homes sold within 30 days.
📍 League City followed closely with 131 sales at a median of $407,800. Fast sales there jumped from 46.8% to 57.3%, a ten-point gain and the largest improvement of any major market in the region.
📍 Galveston recorded 84 sales, up 12%, with total volume up 10.6%. Homes selling within 30 days rose from 22.7% to 31%.
📍 Friendswood posted 80 sales, up 3.9%, with 57.5% selling inside a month.
📍 Clear Lake closed 65 sales at a median of $365,000, up 10.6% year over year. Sixty percent sold within 30 days.
📍 Texas City recorded 64 sales at a median of $305,000.
💰 The upper end is moving too
Sales at $600,000 and above rose 8.8%, from 91 homes to 99, with volume in that segment up 13% to $89.6 million. Median days on market for those homes dropped from 81 days to 45. Half of the region's $600,000-plus sales closed in a month and a half or less. A year ago that same midpoint sat closer to three months.
🔴🔵 Not every price point behaves the same way
The Bulman Report grid breaks the region down by ZIP code and price band, and the pattern is consistent enough to plan around.
Entry-level and mid-range homes across Friendswood, Clear Lake, League City, and Pearland sit in seller's market territory, largely from $300,000 through $600,000. Move above $800,000 in several of those same ZIP codes, and conditions shift toward buyers.
🌊 Coastal markets run on a different clock. Galveston, Bacliff, and La Marque show buyer's conditions across most price bands. That is not bad news. It is actionable information. A buyer with flexibility has genuine negotiating room on the water right now, while a seller with a well-presented home in 77546 or 77573 is competing against thin inventory.
✅ What this means in practice
For sellers, preparation, pricing and marketing are still the entire difference between a 10 day sale and a 100 day one. The homes clearing in under two weeks are not lucky. They have great marketing and they are ready for buyers.
For buyers, the opportunity depends heavily on where you look and at what price point. The same month that produced 60% fast sales in Pearland produced a buyer's market across most of Galveston.
🔑 The bottom line
Homes are selling. Nearly half of them sold in under a month. Want to know what your specific home is worth? Call or send me a message.
Jeff Bulman, Broker/Owner
Jeff Bulman Real Estate
📲281-612-5333
📩[email protected]
