Shopping for a house is hell in California.
A current report by Shopper Affairs discovered the Golden State doesn’t simply rank close to the underside of locations to purchase a house — it truly claimed each spot in a rating of the ten worst cities for homebuyers.
Berkeley, the famously liberal bastion, ranked the worst metropolis in America to purchase a house, trailed by fellow Bay Space cities Santa Clara and Sunnyvale to spherical out the underside three.
San Francisco ranked because the fifth-worst metropolis in America to purchase a house, whereas Southern California cities Burbank, Inglewood and Pasadena completed sixth, seventh and Tenth, respectively.
“The most important difficulty is affordability,” Dayna Edens, a spokesperson for ConsumerAffairs, instructed The Submit.
“Although incomes in lots of Bay Space cities are comparatively excessive, dwelling costs are on one other stage. Take Berkeley, for instance — the median family revenue is over six figures, however a typical three-bedroom dwelling prices greater than $1.4 million.”
A current UC Berkeley examine revealed that those that depart California discover a measure of economic aid. The state noticed a staggering web lack of 216,000 residents in 2025.
Nationwide, Florida dominated the record of probably the most buyer-friendly housing markets, claiming six of the highest 10 cities. Cape Coral ranked No. 1 general, with almost 96% promoting at or beneath record value.
The second- and third-best cities for homebuyers had been Palm Coast, Fla., and Shock, Ariz.,, which supply a mix of affordability and decrease competitors. Different areas that cracked the highest 10 locations to purchase embody Sugar Land, Texas (sixth), Centennial, Colo. (ninth) and Carmel, Ind. (Tenth).
None of that is to say residing in Arizona or Indiana is preferable to residing in locations just like the Bay Space, Edens famous.
“Bay Space cities rank poorly, not as a result of individuals don’t need to dwell there, however as a result of they’re a few of the hardest locations to purchase a house,” she stated.
“Costs are extraordinarily excessive relative to revenue, stock is restricted, and competitors is intense — and people are the precise circumstances that make a market difficult for consumers.”
The examine evaluated 272 cities primarily based on housing market competitiveness, affordability, dwelling measurement and livability, with affordability and competitors accounting for almost all of every metropolis’s rating.
Excessive per-square-foot costs additional squeeze consumers, notably in Silicon Valley cities.
“In cities like Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, costs per sq. foot exceed $1,000, so even smaller properties include a really excessive price ticket,” Edens stated.
On the similar time, a scarcity of obtainable properties has created fierce competitors.
“In Santa Clara, virtually 65% of properties are promoting above the asking value,” Edens stated.
For these in search of a to purchase a house and keep in California, a current a examine recognized Fresno as among the best bangs for the buck.
