Featured image credit: inkknife_2000
You don’t have to obsessively trace trends to recognize that, for years, the California dream meant living as close to the coast as financially feasible. Whether that be in the Bay Area, Santa Monica, or San Diego, people prioritize Pacific-facing placement. Until recently, anyway. Now, people are beginning to look east, valuing inland California homes for sale over coastal counterparts. So what’s the logic behind this shift?
Why People Are Looking Inland for California Homes for Sale
Though so many companies have returned to the office or switched to hybrid schedules since the last days of the pandemic, remote work is still heavily influencing the California real estate market. For decades, people’s place of work has strongly influenced where they live. That’s not as strong a factor as it used to be. While it’s still a consideration, it now competes against other factors that, at one time, carried less weight, such as lifestyle, affordability, and spaciousness.
According to several reports, a marked surge in demand for suburban California homes for sale is outpacing urban demand by leaps and bounds. Remote work may be doing the heavy lifting, but some experts also point to the growing appeal of community amenities. However, the trend is more evident in specific regions. Here in Southern California, Inland Empire communities like San Bernardino and Riverside have become beacons for remote workers and growing families seeking affordability.
And these communities deliver on that affordability, at least by Californian standards. The Inland Empire stands as the most accessible entry point into Southern California’s housing market, with the median home value in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario market at $580,340 at the time of writing, per Zillow. When interest rates drop, it will likely be a hotbed of buyer activity. Meanwhile, San Diego, a favorite for those seeking coastal homes, has median home prices hovering just beneath the $1 millon mark. Numbers like that have even those who love the beach looking further inland.
What Features Do Buyers Want in Inland California Homes?
However, the California homes for sale that perhaps best highlight this inland-facing trend are those further north in Sacramento. It’s become something of an unofficial refuge for those not quite ready to leave the state, but still exhausted by big city life (and big city prices) in larger metropolitan areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco. This is perhaps most apparent in areas with plenty of outdoor access, reliable internet connectivity, and, of course, dedicated space for home offices.
Though trends show a growing preference for smaller homes, likely motivated by cost, buyers who fit the trend of seeking inland California homes for sale are often looking for larger properties. This is because they’ll often need a home that doubles as a workspace. This could come in the form of an additional bedroom, or, more directly, a home office. Homes that balance work and personal life tend to incorporate movable partitions, multipurpose areas, and even convertible furniture.
What is This All Worth to California Buyers?
Though some experts see the median price of California homes for sale cresting at over $900,000 by the end of 2026, that figure is currently at just over $765,000 at the time of writing. Yet, regional variations open the door for a wide range. Sellers may benefit by acknowledging that location is now competing with other strong factors for a buyer’s attention. A home that offers enough room to work and live comfortably is easily worth a longer drive to the beach.
With a brand that says as much as JohnHart’s, Senior Copywriter Seth Styles never finds himself at a loss for words. Responsible for maintaining the voice of the company, he spends each day drafting marketing materials, blogs, bios, and agent resources that speak from the company’s collective mind and Hart… errr, heart.
Having spent over a decade in creative roles across a variety of industries, Seth brings with him vast experience in SEO practices, digital marketing, and all manner of professional writing with particular strength in blogging, content creation, and brand building. Gratitude, passion, and sincerity remain core tenets of his unwavering work ethic. The landscape of the industry changes daily, paralleling JohnHart’s efforts to {re}define real estate, but Seth works to maintain the company’s consistent message while offering both agents and clients a new echelon of service.
When not preserving the JohnHart essence in stirring copy, Seth puts his efforts into writing and illustrating an ongoing series entitled The Death of Romance. In addition, he adores spending quality time with his girlfriend and Romeo (his long-haired chihuahua mix), watching ‘70s and ‘80s horror movies, and reading (with a particular penchant for Victorian horror novels and authors Yukio Mishima and Bret Easton Ellis). He also occasionally records music as the vocalist and songwriter for his glam rock band, Peppermint Pumpkin.
.jpg){kind=link}
