More Malibu homes sold this summer than last summer, but the median price fell 13%, from $3.55 million to $3.08 million. From July through September 2026, 40 single-family homes sold, up from 36 a year earlier, and total sales volume rose 33%, from $151.3 million to $201.8 million. The median fell because more homes sold between $2 million and $3 million, and fewer above $5 million. Comparable homes did hold their value however (Data gathered on the MLS).
Malibu Q3 2026 Market Report at a Glance
Here are the main numbers from our Q3 2026 Malibu real estate market report. They compare July through September 2026 with the same 3 months of 2025, using closed single-family sales on the MLS.
| Metric | Q3 2026 | Q3 2025 | Change |
| Median sale price | $3,079,056 | $3,550,000 | down 13% |
| Average sale price | $5,046,069 | $4,204,113 | up 20% |
| Homes sold | 40 | 36 | up 11% |
| Total sales volume | $201.8 million | $151.3 million | up 33% |
| Average days to sell | 73 | 87 | 14 days faster |
| Sale price vs. final list price | 92.0% | 93.3% | slightly lower |
| Average price per square foot | $1,235 | $1,335 | down 7.5% |
(The data reflects trends but not current listings. For homes on the market today, browse our current listings or reach out to our team.)
The median was higher in the spring: $4,089,910 from April through June 2026. It also dropped between spring and summer last year, by about the same amount, so comparing this summer with last summer gives the clearer picture. Our Q2 2026 Malibu market report covers the spring.
These numbers include 5 homes that sold privately and were recorded on the MLS afterward, including a $34 million Sweetwater Mesa estate. Some reports leave private sales out, which is why their totals can differ from ours. Beachfront homes the MLS lists separately have their own section below.
Malibu Home Prices in Q3 2026: What Moved the Median
The median is the price in the middle of all sales, so it shifts whenever the mix of homes shifts.
| Price range | Q3 2025 sales | Q3 2026 sales |
| Under $2 million | 8 | 8 |
| $2 million to $3 million | 5 | 10 |
| $3 million to $5 million | 12 | 13 |
| $5 million to $10 million | 10 | 6 |
| Over $10 million | 1 | 3 |
Sales between $2 million and $3 million doubled, from 5 to 10, and sales between $5 million and $10 million fell from 10 to 6. With more sales near the bottom of the range and fewer near the top, the middle price drops.
The average sale price rose 20%, and 2 sales explain nearly all of it: the $34 million Sweetwater Mesa estate and a $28.1 million Point Dume home on Zumirez Drive. Leave out each year's 2 biggest sales and the average sales price rose 1.7%, from about $3.62 million to $3.68 million.
Malibu Price per Square Foot
The average price per square foot fell 7.5%, from $1,335 to $1,235, mostly because bigger homes sold this summer. Sales of homes over 5,000 square feet rose to 7, from 2 a year earlier, and larger homes usually sell for less per foot. That 7.5% figure averages each home's own price per square foot. Add up every sale price and divide by every square foot sold, and price per square foot was flat: $1,238 this year and $1,237 last year.
Where Malibu Homes Sold: Canyons, Sunset Mesa and Point Dume
Half of this summer's sales were in Malibu's canyons and its eastern end, up from about a third a year earlier. Central Malibu, from the pier to Escondido Beach, had 2 sales, down from 6, and none between $5 million and $10 million, compared with 3 a year earlier. That shift accounts for much of the drop in the median.
The best side-by-side comparison is on Wakecrest Drive in Sunset Mesa, where 2 similar 1962 houses sold a year apart. Last summer's sold for $2,125,000 after 30 days. This summer's sold for $2,400,000, about 13% more, in 7 days and above its asking price.
Prices per square foot also rose in Corral Canyon and held steady or rose in Malibu West and Malibu Country Estates. Point Dume was busier, with 13 sales, up from 11.
At the lower end, the least expensive house to sell was a 1976 home on Corral Canyon Road, at $1.2 million. Of the 12 sales under $2.5 million, 8 were canyon or mountain homes. You can search Malibu homes for sale by neighborhood and price as each Malibu area comes with its own price point.
Malibu Luxury Homes in Q3 2026
Builders made 2 of the summer's 3 biggest purchases and plan to finish or rebuild those homes and sell them again. In July, a contractor paid $34 million in a private sale for an unfinished 35-acre estate on Sweetwater Mesa and plans to finish it and resell it in about a year (The Real Deal). That same month, 3 brokers and an architect paid $55 million for a beachfront estate in Paradise Cove that they plan to tear down and rebuild (The Real Deal).
The third, a Point Dume home on Zumirez Drive, sold for $28.1 million in September to a buyer with no reported plans to rebuild or resell (The Real Deal). All 3 sold well below their first asking prices:
| Home | First list price | Final list price | Sold for |
| Zumirez Drive, Point Dume | about $56 million (2022) | $30 million | $28.1 million |
| Paradise Cove beachfront | $85 million (2024) | $74.5 million | $55 million |
| Sweetwater Mesa estate | $48 million (2025) | $38 million, then withdrawn | $34 million, sold privately |
On average, homes sold for 92% of their final list price, slightly below last year's 93%. A mountain ranch on Crater Camp Drive accounts for most of that gap: it sold for $8.5 million against a $15 million price after 567 days on the market. The bigger discounts were above $5 million, where homes sold for about 86% of their final list price on average, compared with 93% last year. Below $5 million, buyers paid about 94%, a little more than last year.
For more on this end of the market, read what you are really buying in a Malibu luxury home and our list of every Malibu home sale over $100 million.
Malibu Beach Homes in Q3 2026
Beach-area home sales fell to 5 this summer, from 10 a year earlier:
- 27832 Pacific Coast Highway, Paradise Cove: $55,000,000, the teardown described above.
- 24146 Malibu Road: $13,750,000, on Malibu Road.
- 26814 Malibu Cove Colony Drive: $11,272,000, up about 8.6% from its 2017 sale price of $10,377,000 (Redfin), in Malibu Cove Colony.
- 24102 Malibu Road: $5,500,000.
- 42750 Pacific Coast Highway, at County Line: $5,100,000.
Last summer's 10 included 3 Point Dume bluff estates, among them an $80 million private sale on Grayfox Street (The Real Deal). None of those bluff estates sold this summer, so the beach median fell from $17.8 million to $11.3 million. Leave out the $55 million teardown and beach buyers paid about 90% of the final list price, the same as last year. If you are looking at the beach, our guide to private versus public sand in Malibu explains what you actually own.
Malibu Land and Lot Sales in Q3 2026
Lot sales fell to 24, from 32 a year earlier. The median lot price rose to $1,265,000 from $1,015,000, but only because fewer inexpensive mountain parcels sold. For lots priced at $500,000 or more, the median barely moved: $1.46 million, versus $1.49 million a year earlier. Lots also sold faster, in 81 days on average versus 107 a year earlier.
How Malibu Compares to the Wider Los Angeles Market
Mortgage rates rose all summer, from 6.43% in early July to 7.03% in late September, and reached 7.40% in mid-October (Freddie Mac). The Federal Reserve also raised interest rates in September. In our experience, Malibu feels rate changes less than most markets because many buyers here pay cash. Most homes that closed this summer went into contract in late spring or early summer, so the higher rates will show up more in fall sales.
Nationally, August and September were the slowest months for home sales this year (National Association of Realtors). In Los Angeles County, the August median price rose 1.7%, to $946,950, and the number of homes sold rose 2.1% (California Association of Realtors). Malibu's 11% rise in the number of homes sold beat both.
Malibu also keeps a tax advantage at the high end. The City of Los Angeles charges a mansion tax of 4% to 5.5% of the sale price on homes over $5.4 million, and Malibu charges no city transfer tax on top of the county's 0.11% (LA County Registrar-Recorder).
What the Q3 2026 Malibu Housing Market Means for Buyers and Sellers
Buyers have more to choose from heading into fall. Active listings reached 257 in August, the highest count this year, and the number of homes going into escrow (pending sales) was about 20% lower than last year in August and September (MLS). Homes are still selling faster than last year: half of the homes that sold in September 2026 did so within 34 days, compared with 73 days in September 2025.
If you are selling under $5 million, well-priced homes are selling close to their asking price. Above $5 million, price to today's market, since homes that sat this summer sold at real discounts. A home valuation is a good first step.
If you are buying, canyon homes between $1.2 million and $2.5 million are the most affordable single-family houses in Malibu right now, and the extra listings give you more choice. Budget for insurance too: California's FAIR Plan raised its rates by an average of 29.1% on October 15, 2026 (KQED). You can browse current Malibu listings or see every neighborhood we cover on our Malibu real estate page.
Buying or Selling in the Malibu Market This Fall?
Our team of Malibu real estate agents has worked this market for over 25 years. We can price your home or help you find the neighborhoods that fit your budget. Reach out to our team or call us at 310-980-8809.
Shen Schulz, Sotheby's International Realty. DRE #01327630.
Sources
- Closed single-family and land sales, Combined LA Westside MLS (TheMLS/CLAW), MLS Areas 32 and 33, Q3 2025, Q2 2026 and Q3 2026, with MarketSnap reports generated October 18, 2026.
- "Unfinished Malibu Canyon manse scores $34M in off-market deal," The Real Deal, August 21, 2026. therealdeal.com
- "Broker JV snatches up former Dodgers owner's Malibu mansion for $55M," The Real Deal, July 29, 2026. therealdeal.com
- "$28M is half measure for Malibu home once owned by Academy Award-winning composer," The Real Deal, September 21, 2026. therealdeal.com
- 26814 Malibu Cove Colony Drive public sale record. redfin.com
- "Malibu property on Grayfox Street sells for $80M," The Real Deal, August 4, 2025. therealdeal.com
- Primary Mortgage Market Survey, Freddie Mac, October 15, 2026. freddiemac.com
- Federal Open Market Committee statement, Federal Reserve, September 16, 2026. federalreserve.gov
- Existing-home sales, September 2026, National Association of Realtors, October 13, 2026. nar.realtor
- August 2026 home sales and price report, California Association of Realtors, September 16, 2026. car.org
- Documentary transfer taxes, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. lavote.gov
- "California FAIR Plan announces 29.1% rate hike for homeowners this fall," KQED, August 11, 2026. kqed.org