Published October 1, 2026 in Market Update

Chico inventory stayed tight even with mortgage rates above 7%

By Willoughby Thorn

Real estate, Primary buy box (Chico)

Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.03% on September 24, 2026. Rates that high usually slow things down. In Chico, they did not stop the market.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 289 homes sold across Chico in the three months ending July 31, 2026. That is up 2.8% from the same months in 2025. At the same time, homes for sale fell to 225, down 4.3%. More buyers, fewer choices.

Pending sales did dip 4.2% from a year before, so not every signal pointed up. But 276 homes under contract is still a steady pipeline. Demand held.

How each ZIP code read

The three ZIP codes inside Chico each told a slightly different story. The Real Estate Data Aggregator breaks them out below.

ZIP 95926: the fastest ZIP in Chico

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 93 homes sold in 95926. That is up 10.7% from a year before. The median sale price was $448,000, down 5.2%. Prices dipped a little, and buyers moved in.

The median home in 95926 took only 27 days to sell. That was 2 days shorter than the same period in 2025. Nearly half of all listings, 49.5%, went under contract within two weeks.

Pending sales in 95926 jumped 12.5% from a year before. That is the strongest pending growth of any Chico ZIP. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put months of supply at 2.2, down 0.4 months from 2025.

ZIP 95928: prices up, sales down

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price in 95928 at $497,000, up 6% from a year before. That is the strongest price gain of any Chico ZIP. Sales, though, fell 8.9%.

Pending sales in 95928 dropped 24% from a year before. That is a real shift. Months of supply crept up 0.2 months to 3.1. Buyers here are taking more time.

Still, 43.4% of 95928 homes went under contract within two weeks. That share was up 6.4 points from 2025. Well-priced homes moved.

ZIP 95973: the highest prices, a slower pace

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 114 homes sold in 95973. That is the most of any Chico ZIP, and up 6.5% from a year before. The median sale price was $532,500, up 0.5%.

Homes here took a median of 42 days to sell. That is 15 days longer than the same period in 2025. Not every home sold fast in 95973.

The sale-to-list ratio held at 99.7%. Sellers got close to what they asked. But the share that sold above list dropped 12.7 points to 22.8%. Bidding wars got quieter.

What the national picture adds

Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.03% on September 24, 2026. That is the first time rates topped 7% since January 2025, according to Realtor.com.

Nationally, Realtor.com reported that 20.8% of listings took a price cut in September. That is the highest share since October 2022. Chico sellers mostly held their prices, but the national trend is worth watching.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. Chico's 95928 outpaced that at 6%. ZIP 95926 went the other way, down 5.2%.

One street can read very differently from the whole ZIP code. The numbers above are a starting point, not the full picture for your home.