California homebuyers looking for the state’s strongest real estate market may need to skip Los Angeles and San Francisco — and set their sights on Irvine.
The Orange County metropolis was named California’s best real estate market and the Tenth-best nationwide in WalletHub’s 2026 rating.
Irvine earned a rating of 64.28, rating eighth for the power of its housing market and eighty fifth for affordability and financial situations. It also completed second among massive US cities, behind only Charlotte, North Carolina.
California homebuyers looking for the state’s strongest real estate market may need to skip Los Angeles and San Francisco Vit Onopriienko – stock.adobe.com
Roseville was California’s next-best guess at No. 12 nationwide, adopted by Santa Clara at No. 29, Clovis at No. 33, Ontario at No. 34 and Elk Grove at No. 39.
Rounding out the Golden State’s prime 10 were Murrieta at No. 58, Sunnyvale at No. 66, San Diego at No. 70 and Santa Maria at No. 72.
WalletHub in contrast 300 cities across 17 measures, including home-price appreciation, affordability, foreclosures, mortgage delinquencies, building exercise and job growth.
“The best cities may not always be the cheapest, but they offer excellent housing options and long-term stability,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.
An aerial skyline view of Santa Clara’s principal business district with Mission College in the foreground and mountains of Santa Clara valley in the background is seen on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, in Santa Clara. Getty Images
That trade-off was clear in California.
Santa Clara boasted the nations Eleventh-strongest real estate market but ranked a dismal 250th for affordability and financial situations. Clovis had almost the reverse exhibiting, rating sixth for affordability and financial situations but 72nd for its housing market.
Several of California’s greatest cities landed much further down the listing, Los Angeles ranked 237th total, while San Francisco positioned 273rd and Oakland came in at No. 282.
Glendale, Berkeley, Santa Barbara and Santa Monica also tied close to the backside of home-price-to-income rating at No. 297.
Still, San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale tied for the nation’s lowest share of critically underwater mortgages, while Santa Ana and Mission Viejo tied for fourth.
Lancaster and Palmdale were California’s lowest-ranked markets, ending at 291st and 292nd, respectively.
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