June's read on the Inland Empire market is best described as split-screen: the San Bernardino County side is holding modestly positive, the Riverside side is cooling gently, and the region as a whole is rewarding disciplined pricing while punishing wishful pricing. Here's the data and what it means if you're selling this summer.
The Numbers
- San Bernardino County: Redfin reports a median sale price of $548,000 for the three months ending May 2026 — up 1.2% year over year — with price per square foot flat at $332. Homes averaged 46 days on market, up from 41 a year ago, while May closings ticked up to 1,496 from 1,473 last year.
- Riverside: Redfin's data through April shows the city of Riverside at a $630,000 median for the trailing three months, down 2.3% year over year, with days on market steady at 42.
- The broader trend: Zillow's home-value index has both Riverside and San Bernardino counties down roughly 1.5% over the twelve months ending May 2026, and analysts tracking Riverside County report inventory continuing to build as homes take longer to sell.
How to Read It
Put together, this is a flat-to-slightly-soft market with more selection for buyers than the region has seen in several years. Sales are still happening — May volume in San Bernardino County actually rose — but the days-on-market drift and the growing inventory mean buyers have alternatives, and they know it. The result is a market with almost no tolerance for overpricing: well-priced homes in strong school areas still draw competitive interest, while aspirationally priced listings sit and then chase the market down with cuts.
What It Means in JP's Cities
The county numbers blend everything from foothill estates to desert communities, so anchor your expectations to your own submarket. Across the cities JP serves — from North Fontana's 92336 master-planned neighborhoods to Upland's foothills and Claremont's tree streets — the medians run well above the county blend, and school-driven demand keeps the strongest neighborhoods moving faster than the county averages suggest. The summer dynamic we covered in May still applies: family buyers on a school-year deadline are active right now and decisive when they find the right home.
If You're Selling This Summer
- Price to the last 90 days of comps, not to last spring. In a drifting market, stale comps flatter you into sitting.
- Lead with condition and presentation. With inventory building, buyers tour more homes before choosing — yours has to win the comparison, not just appear in it.
- Move while the deadline buyers are active. The school-calendar window is the summer's demand engine, and it fades by mid-August.
- Keep your economics in mind: in a flat market, the commission you don't pay is the equity you keep. On a $725,000 sale, the difference between a 3% and a 1% listing fee is $14,500.
JP Dauber is a licensed California broker (DRE #01499918) with 21+ years of experience selling homes across the Inland Empire and East San Gabriel Valley. SoldByJP provides full-service home selling at a 1% listing fee. Get your free home valuation →