Walnut Creek's Condo Median Went Up This Fall. Did Condo Prices?

Walnut Creek's median condo and townhome sale price was $670,000 in September 2026. That is 7.2% higher than the $625,000 median a year earlier, according to the Bay East Association of REALTORS® monthly report. The same report says the average sold price per square foot was $517 in September 2026. In September 2025 it was $519. So the typical square foot cost about the same as a year ago while the median rose about $45,000.

The median moved because a different mix of homes sold in September. Walnut Creek's attached housing is two very different stocks counted together. The low end of that combined market is priced largely by monthly fees, insurance coverage and loan eligibility. If you're shopping for a condo here, those costs are the friction, and the headline median hides them.

The Price Per Square Foot Barely Moved

A median is the middle sale in whatever sold that month. When more large or high-end units close, it rises. When more small or low-cost units close, it falls. Price per square foot adjusts for size, so it tracks value more closely. Over the past year, the two have often moved in opposite directions.

Look at July and September 2026. July had the higher price per square foot, at $542, yet its median was $20,500 lower than September's. The August median of $587,000 came one month before the "7% gain," and it was below the median from the year before. In about 60 to 80 sales a month, a handful of larger townhomes or smaller co-op units can swing the median by tens of thousands of dollars, even when per-foot values hold steady.

The rest of the September 2026 report points the same way. Sales fell 16.9%, from 71 to 59. Average days on market rose from 38 to 47. Buyers paid 100% of list price on average, and 183 units were for sale at month's end, about 2.6 months of supply. Fewer sales, longer marketing times and flat per-foot pricing describe a steady market with a slower pace. They don't describe a market where condo values just jumped 7%.

One Report, Two Housing Stocks

The mix shifts so much because the Bay East report counts Rossmoor sales together with the rest of Walnut Creek, as a note at the bottom of the report states.

Rossmoor is large enough to shape any citywide average. Its official site lists 3,368 co-op manors with starting prices of $250K and up, and 3,245 condominiums starting at $400K and up. It also lists 300 units at The Waterford starting at $200K and up, plus 63 single-family homes. Co-op owners hold shares that carry exclusive rights to a manor, and property taxes are included in the monthly fee. Condominium owners hold individual deeds with shared common areas.

Now compare that inventory with the price bands in Bay East's year-to-date table. Through September 2026, 194 of the 570 attached sales in the Walnut Creek report closed under $500,000. That is about a third of all sales and by far the largest single band. At the top, 101 sales closed at $1 million or more. Bay East doesn't split Rossmoor from the rest of the city, so the exact share isn't published. Still, thousands of co-op and condo units with starting prices well below $500,000 help explain why the under-$500K band is so large. They also help explain why a month with fewer of those sales lifts the median.

For a buyer, the practical point is this. Suppose you're shopping for a two-bedroom townhome near downtown or a condo near BART. The citywide median and the price-band table describe a pool that includes a very different product, with its own ownership structure, fee structure and lending rules. Your comparison set is the building type you would actually buy.

Why the Low End Prices the Way It Does

The under-$500K band is not simply "cheap Walnut Creek." Much of that price reflects costs a buyer takes on after closing, plus limits on who can finance the purchase.

Monthly fees. Rossmoor News reported that the Second Mutual's 2026 coupon is $1,294 a month, up $36 or 2.86%, with property tax added separately. Each mutual sets its own coupon, so that figure applies to one mutual only. The community-wide RWC portion was $351.51 per manor per month in 2026. In September, the RWC board approved $362.98 for 2027, an increase of $11.47 or 3.26%. A buyer who adds that monthly cost to a mortgage payment is effectively comparing a lower price with a higher monthly bill.

Financing. In May 2025, Rossmoor News reported that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were not guaranteeing "non-qualified" mortgage loans for Rossmoor homes. The reason given was that Rossmoor Walnut Creek had insured only about half of its physical assets. The paper said lenders were developing workarounds. When fewer loan products work for a property, fewer buyers can bid on it, and that shows up in price. Lending rules change, so ask a lender to check any building's current status.

The same pressures reach beyond Rossmoor. The East Bay Times reported that Bay Area HOA fees rose a median of 30% from 2019 to 2024, while inflation rose about 22%. It also said Walnut Creek had the highest HOA dues in the region. That article says California associations can raise fees by no more than 20% a year. It also described SB 326, which requires balcony inspections in condo buildings with three or more units. Those inspections were due by January 1, 2026, and must be repeated every nine years. Justin Roño, a Los Gatos attorney quoted in the piece, described what the inspections revealed:

"After this bill went into effect, it showed that many associations lacked reserves."

The East Bay Times also noted that older associations that kept dues low now have to fund repairs they didn't plan for, which adds monthly costs owners didn't expect. For buyers, that means part of the purchase price in older condo buildings has moved into the monthly payment.

Reading the Number Before You Write an Offer

Once you know the median is a mix, the useful questions are specific to a building:

1. Price the building type, not the city. Compare sold price per square foot for units like the one you want, in buildings of similar age, over the last few months. The September 2026 citywide figure was $517. It works as a rough anchor, not a target.
2. Turn the fee into a price. Add the current monthly dues to your projected payment. Then ask for the association's budget and fee history, so you can see how fast dues have risen there.
3. Ask about the balcony inspection. For buildings covered by SB 326, ask whether the inspection is done, what it found, and whether repairs or assessments are planned.
4. Confirm loan eligibility early. Ask your lender whether the project qualifies for the loan you plan to use before you fall in love with the floor plan, especially if insurance coverage is partial.
5. Use the pace in negotiation. In September 2026, units averaged 47 days on market, up from 38 a year earlier, while still selling at about list price on average. A listing that sits past that mark gives you room to ask questions about fees and reserves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Walnut Creek condo prices rising in 2026? On a per-square-foot basis, they're roughly flat. Average sold price per square foot was $517 in September 2026, compared with $519 in September 2025, while the median rose 7.2%.

Why does the Walnut Creek median jump so much from month to month? Fewer than 80 attached sales close in a typical month, and the pool mixes Rossmoor's co-ops and condos with the rest of the city's condos and townhomes. From August to September 2026, the median moved from $587,000 to $670,000.

Does the Bay East Walnut Creek condo report include Rossmoor? Yes. The report states that it "Includes Walnut Creek and Rossmoor," so its citywide figures combine both.

This post is general information about market data, HOA fees, inspection rules and lending, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm the details of any specific building or loan with the right professional before you rely on them.

If you're weighing a Walnut Creek condo or townhome, we'll pull the per-square-foot sales, fee history and inspection status for the buildings on your list, so you can compare real monthly costs instead of the citywide median. Reach out to the Aliloupour Real Estate Team and get early access to listings, along with the numbers behind each one.