Half Moon Bay Housing Market 2026: $1.7M Median, 45-Day Single-Family Sales, and the 13-Day Condo Sprint

Half Moon Bay closed early 2026 with a $1.7M median sale price — up 14.9% year over year (Redfin) — but the headline number hides a more interesting story. The 94019 ZIP runs two clocks at once: single-family inventory averages 45 days on market, while condos and townhomes close in roughly 13 days. That is the widest house-vs-condo velocity gap of any San Mateo coastal ZIP, and it changes how sellers should think about pricing, prep, and the brokerage they choose.

For Half Moon Bay specifically, the market also splits along geography — the village core, El Granada to the north, and Miramar / Princeton / Moss Beach all price on different drivers. Sellers benchmarking off the citywide $1.7M median without understanding which sub-market their property actually competes in are systematically mispricing — usually downward for El Granada owners and upward for Moss Beach owners.

This is the Half Moon Bay housing market for 2026: real numbers, neighborhood-level pricing, and the commission math that matters at coastal-Bay-Area prices.

Half Moon Bay Market Snapshot — Early 2026

Half Moon Bay 94019 Market Data Early 2026

Metric	Half Moon Bay (94019)	San Mateo County	YoY Change
Median sale price (Redfin)	$1,700,000	~$1,930,000	+14.9%
Single-family median	$1,500,000	~$2,100,000	Variable
Single-family DOM (median)	45	~25	Slower than county
Condo / townhome DOM (median)	13	~20	Faster than county
Active single-family listings	~20	N/A	Tight
Land listings (median list)	~$1.8M (28 active)	N/A	Coastal-specific
Trophy-tier ceiling	$8M+ (oceanfront)	$25M+ (Hillsborough/Atherton)	N/A

The 14.9% YoY median uplift is the headline, but the more useful read is the 3.5x velocity gap between single-family and condo / townhome inventory. Condo buyers in Half Moon Bay are moving in roughly two weeks. Single-family buyers are taking six and a half. Same ZIP, same coast, two different markets.

Sources: [Redfin Half Moon Bay, Zillow Half Moon Bay, Redfin Half Moon Bay land.]

Why Single-Family and Condo Markets Run Different Clocks

Three structural factors explain the velocity gap.

1. Pricing-Tier Mismatch With the Coastal Buyer Pool

The Half Moon Bay condo and townhome inventory clears at meaningfully lower price points than single-family — typically $700K to $1.1M for a standard condo or townhome versus $1.4M to $2.5M for an entry-level single-family. The condo tier sits at the price point where a Peninsula tech professional or Bay Area first-time buyer can absorb the coastal commute and still close at a workable down-payment level. Single-family buyers in the $1.5M-plus range have more options across the broader Peninsula and are doing more comparison shopping — which translates directly to longer days-on-market.

2. Coastal Inspection Friction

Single-family inventory along the coast carries inspection-cycle complexity that condo / townhome inventory typically does not. Coastal salt exposure, well-and-septic systems on the more rural inventory, foundation drainage on hillside parcels, and the Mediterranean Ridge / California Coastal Zoning overlay all extend the inspection-and-disclosure cycle. The 45-day single-family DOM partly reflects that extended inspection-cycle window — not just buyer indecision.

3. The Highway 1 Commute Filter

Half Moon Bay buyers are self-selecting for the Highway 1 commute — roughly 40 minutes to South San Francisco, an hour-plus to downtown SF or Silicon Valley in any meaningful traffic. That commute is more tolerable when you're walking out a condo door once a day than when you've committed to a $2M-plus single-family hold for the next decade. The condo buyer pool is wider; the single-family buyer pool is narrower and more deliberate.

Half Moon Bay Neighborhoods and Pricing Tiers

Half Moon Bay's coastal geography creates distinct sub-markets. Locals know the differences. Out-of-region buyers — and out-of-region listing agents — often don't.

Half Moon Bay Proper (Downtown / Village)

The walkable downtown core — Main Street, Kelly Avenue, the historic village. Inventory mixes mid-century single-family on standard lots with newer townhome and condo product. Pricing concentrates in the $1.3M–$2.0M range for single-family and $700K–$1.1M for condos / townhomes. Strong walkability score relative to the rest of the coast — the only Half Moon Bay sub-market where car-light living is feasible.

El Granada

El Granada sits north of Half Moon Bay proper along the coast. The neighborhood carries a meaningful pricing premium over standard 94019 inventory — driven by view exposure, the proximity to Pillar Point Harbor, and a higher concentration of custom and architect-designed homes. Pricing concentrates in the $1.8M–$3.5M range for single-family, with upper-tier oceanfront and ridge inventory reaching past $5M. Some of Half Moon Bay's most desirable single-family inventory.

Miramar

Miramar sits between Half Moon Bay proper and El Granada with relatively more affordable pricing than its El Granada neighbor. Inventory tilts toward older single-family and beach-cottage product on standard lots. Pricing concentrates in the $1.1M–$1.8M range, with select beachfront and view inventory pricing higher. Often the entry tier for buyers who want the El Granada lifestyle but can't absorb El Granada pricing.

Princeton

Princeton sits at Pillar Point and is the working-harbor adjacent neighborhood. Mixed-use and mostly older inventory. Pricing varies sharply by lot — small inventory, big variance. The Princeton-by-the-Sea sub-area runs $1.0M–$1.8M for standard single-family inventory.

Moss Beach

Moss Beach sits north of Princeton and El Granada — the more rural and less-densely-developed Half Moon Bay coast. Pricing meaningfully lower than El Granada on equivalent square footage — typically $1.0M–$1.5M for standard single-family. Lots tend to be larger; the lifestyle trade-off is a longer drive to downtown Half Moon Bay's services and the Highway 1 commute compounding.

Coastal Land Inventory

Half Moon Bay's land inventory is unusually relevant for a coastal market — 28 active land listings at a ~$1.8M median list price as of early 2026. Land transactions in 94019 carry California Coastal Commission entitlement complexity that mainland Peninsula land does not. Sellers and buyers should both factor entitlement-and-permit timeline risk into pricing.

How Half Moon Bay Compares to Adjacent San Mateo Coastal Markets

For sellers benchmarking against neighboring San Mateo County markets:

Pacifica — closer to SF (15-20 min coastal drive vs 40+ from HMB), faster velocity (~12 day median), lower median sale price (~$1.4M). Different buyer pool — Pacifica draws SF-commuter buyers; Half Moon Bay draws coastal-lifestyle buyers willing to absorb the Highway 1 commute.
San Mateo County (market data) — broader Peninsula market at ~$1.93M median with much faster velocity. Half Moon Bay sits in the lower-priced and slower-velocity sub-segment of the county.
Burlingame (market data) — peninsula-inland comparison with similar median price band but very different buyer-pool dynamics. Burlingame buyers are commute-driven; Half Moon Bay buyers are lifestyle-driven.
Foster City (market data) — bayside Peninsula comparison with planned-community structure and very different geography.

The Half Moon Bay story is not a Peninsula-wide story. The county is selling in 25 days at $1.93M; Half Moon Bay single-family is selling in 45 days at $1.5M. Different buyer pool, different velocity, different commission math.

Selling in Half Moon Bay: What Coastal Buyers Actually Care About

At 45-day single-family velocity and 13-day condo velocity, four things matter disproportionately for sellers.

1. Pricing Strategy by Sub-Market, Not Citywide Median

The single biggest pricing miss in Half Moon Bay is benchmarking off the citywide median rather than the relevant sub-market. El Granada listings should benchmark against El Granada comps — not Moss Beach, not Miramar, not the citywide $1.5M single-family median. Same the other direction: Moss Beach listings benchmarking against El Granada comps will sit, then reduce, then sit some more.

2. Coastal Disclosure Discipline

California Coastal Zone overlay disclosures, well-and-septic disclosures (for the more rural inventory), and the standard SPQ / TDS / NHD package all carry additional complexity in 94019. Listing-agent disclosure-package quality directly translates to fewer mid-escrow surprises and a shorter inspection cycle — which directly translates to a shorter time-to-close in a market where 45-day single-family DOM already means an extended marketing cycle.

3. Listing Photography That Captures the Coast

Coastal lifestyle is the product Half Moon Bay sells. Listings that lean into ocean-view exposure, walking-distance-to-beach proximity, and morning-fog-then-afternoon-sun coastal climate translate directly to faster offers. Listings that bury the coastal product behind interior-only photos are systematically under-pricing themselves.

4. Buyer-Inquiry Routing Speed

In a market where the condo tier is closing in 13 days, every buyer-agent inquiry that takes 24+ hours to route is a buyer-pool leak. Charlie, LOQOL's AI listing agent, handles inbound buyer-agent and direct-buyer inquiries in real time — relevant in any market, but particularly relevant in the Half Moon Bay condo / townhome tier where the velocity is fastest.

Commission Math: What 2.5% Costs at Half Moon Bay Prices

Half Moon Bay Listing Commission Math

Sale Price	2.5% Listing Commission	LOQOL Flat Fee	You Keep
$900,000 (condo / townhome)	$22,500	$4,399	$18,101
$1,500,000 (single-family median)	$37,500	$4,399	$33,101
$1,700,000 (94019 Redfin median)	$42,500	$4,399	$38,101
$2,800,000 (El Granada view)	$70,000	$4,399	$65,601
$5,000,000 (oceanfront / trophy)	$125,000	$4,399	$120,601

Assumes 2.5% listing-side commission only. Buyer-side commission is separately negotiated under the 2024 NAR settlement framework.

Schools and Family-Buyer Tier

Cabrillo Unified School District serves all of Half Moon Bay across 5 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 3 high schools with 2,663 K-12 students. The district rates above-average overall on GreatSchools' methodology. Half Moon Bay High School is the comprehensive high school option.

For family buyers comparing Half Moon Bay against inland Peninsula options, the trade-off is clean: smaller-district scale and a coastal-community feel versus the larger-district resource depth of San Mateo Union, Sequoia Union, or Burlingame's family-buyer tier. Cabrillo Unified is well-rated for what it is; sellers should not over-index school district as a primary listing pitch in 94019. The coastal-lifestyle product is what's selling.

What's Driving the YoY Move

Two factors are doing most of the work on the +14.9% YoY median:

Tight inventory. The 94019 ZIP is running at roughly 20 active single-family listings at any given time. That is meaningfully below historical normal for a coastal market of this size. Tight inventory plus consistent buyer interest produces upward median pressure even when transaction count is modest.

Coastal-lifestyle premium re-rating. Remote-work durability has structurally expanded the buyer pool willing to absorb the Highway 1 commute. Buyers who would have previously prioritized inland Peninsula proximity are increasingly willing to take the 40-minute drive for the coastal climate, the surf-and-beach access, and the lower density. That structural buyer-pool expansion is meaningful for a small market like Half Moon Bay.

The +14.9% trajectory also depends partly on inventory mix — Half Moon Bay records modest monthly closings, and the median moves on which sub-market dominated any given closing window. Sellers should benchmark against neighborhood-specific comps, not the citywide median.

FAQ

What is the median home price in Half Moon Bay in 2026?

Per Redfin, the median sale price in Half Moon Bay was $1.7M in early 2026, up 14.9% year over year. Single-family inventory specifically prices at a $1.5M median, while the all-property-types median (which includes condo and townhome inventory) runs lower. Sellers should benchmark against the property-type-specific comp set, not the headline.

Why are Half Moon Bay condos selling so much faster than houses?

Condos and townhomes in Half Moon Bay close in roughly 13 days (Redfin) — versus 45 days for single-family. The gap reflects three factors: condos clear at lower price points where the Peninsula buyer pool is much wider; condo inspection cycles are shorter than coastal single-family with well-and-septic and coastal-zoning overlays; and condo buyers self-select less aggressively for the Highway 1 commute than single-family buyers committing to a decade-long hold.

Which Half Moon Bay neighborhood has the highest home values?

El Granada carries the highest pricing in the broader 94019 market — typically $1.8M–$3.5M for standard single-family, with upper-tier oceanfront reaching past $5M. The premium reflects view exposure, Pillar Point Harbor proximity, and a higher concentration of custom and architect-designed homes than Half Moon Bay proper.

Which Half Moon Bay neighborhood is most affordable?

Moss Beach and parts of Miramar typically carry the lower pricing on equivalent square footage — $1.0M–$1.5M for standard single-family in Moss Beach, $1.1M–$1.8M in Miramar. The trade-off is longer drive to downtown Half Moon Bay services.

How long does it take to sell a house in Half Moon Bay?

Single-family inventory has averaged 45 days on market in early 2026 (Redfin) — slower than the broader San Mateo County average of ~25 days. The slower velocity reflects the smaller buyer pool willing to absorb the Highway 1 commute and the longer coastal-inspection cycles on hillside and well-and-septic inventory.

What does it cost to sell a home in Half Moon Bay with a traditional agent?

Traditional listing-side commission in Half Moon Bay runs 2.0%–3.0% of sale price, with 2.5% as the standard default. At the $1.7M median, that is $42,500 on the listing side alone. Buyer-side cooperation is separately negotiated under the 2024 NAR settlement framework. LOQOL's flat fee is $4,399 at every price point — full BAREIS MLS syndication, photography, disclosure assembly, buyer-inquiry routing, and closing coordination.