Luxury Prices Fall for 30th Straight Month as Big Price Tags Fail to Guarantee Top School Marks, Realtor.com® Finds

Million-dollar listings represented 12.5% of active inventory, down 0.5 percentage points from a year earlier.

Rhea-AI Summary

Realtor.com (NWS) released its September 2026 luxury housing report, showing a national luxury entry threshold of $1,199,321.

The threshold, marking the top 10% of listing prices, fell 3.6% year over year, the 30th consecutive monthly annual decline. Entry prices for the top 5% and top 1% fell 3.5% and 5.3%, respectively. Luxury listings at all three thresholds spent three fewer days on the market than a year earlier; entry-level luxury listings spent a median 76 days.

Los Angeles had the highest luxury threshold at $3,949,634. Across 43 metropolitan areas, Naples led average public elementary school ratings for luxury listings at 9.3/10, while second-priciest Kahului-Wailuku ranked lowest at 5.0/10. Naples and Crestview were the only top 10 most expensive markets with annual price gains. Bridgeport's threshold fell 15.6% despite its third-place school rating. The price figures reflect listings, not completed sales.

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Naples, Fla., tops luxury markets in elementary school ratings (9.3/10) and annual price gains, while second-priciest Kahului-Wailuku, Hawaii, ranks last (5.0/10)

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The national entry point to luxury housing edged down to $1,199,321 in September, 3.6% below a year ago and the 30th consecutive month of annual price declines, according to the Realtor.com^® September Luxury Housing Report released today.

Every luxury tier is cheaper than a year ago, with the threshold for the top 5% of listings down 3.5% and the top 1% down 5.3%. Even so, luxury homes are selling faster than they were last September. Listings at the 90th percentile spent a median of 76 days on the market, three days fewer than a year ago, though two days more than in August as the market eases out of summer.

With students back in class, the report also looks at public elementary school ratings across luxury markets and finds that a big price tag doesn't guarantee top marks.

"Luxury prices keep drifting lower, but buyers haven't gone quiet. Homes are selling faster than a year ago in every tier," said Anthony Smith, senior economist at Realtor.com^®. "School ratings are one local factor that can go hand in hand with price strength, as in Naples, Fla., but they don't make a market immune."

National Luxury Overview, September 2026

The luxury entry point is the lowest since January 2023, 14.1% below its May 2023 peak of roughly $1.4 million. It slipped 0.1% from August, following a 4.0% drop that month, and higher tiers softened slightly more. There are no clear signs yet of a reversal.

Pricing	September 2026	Monthly Change	YoY Change
Luxury Threshold 90th Percentile	$1,199,321	-0.1 %	-3.6 %
High-End Luxury Threshold 95th Percentile	$1,885,731	-0.4 %	-3.5 %
Ultra Luxury Threshold 99th Percentile	$5,128,119	-0.7 %	-5.3 %
Million-Dollar Listing Share	12.5 %	-0.2pp	-0.5pp

The million-dollar listing share fell to 12.5%, down 0.2 percentage points from August and 0.5 points from a year ago. Million-dollar listings rose 1.2% from last year while total active listings rose 5.4%. Listings at the 95th percentile spent 86 days on the market and those at the 99th percentile spent 100 days, each three days faster than a year ago. The typical listing spent 61 days on the market, unchanged from a year ago.

Los Angeles Widens Its Lead as the Highest Entry Point to Luxury

Los Angeles held the top spot at $3.95 million in September, widening its lead as Kahului-Wailuku, Hawaii, slipped 3.1%. The gap between the top two is now about 4%, after less than 1% separated the top three in August. Naples-Marco Island, Fla., moved up to third.

Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, Conn., fell 7.3% after a 6.0% drop in August. It is now 15.6% below a year ago, the steepest annual decline in the top 10, and 14.3% below its June peak, when it held the top spot.

Naples, Fla., (up 8.9%) and Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Fla,. (up 2.4%) were the only top 10 markets with annual gains. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., posted a third straight monthly gain but remains 10.8% below a year ago. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif., returned to the top 10, pushing out Atlantic City-Hammonton, N.J.

Top 10 Most Expensive Metropolitan Luxury Markets

Rank	Area	10% Most Expensive Listings Start at:	10% Most Expensive MoM	10% Most Expensive YoY	Average Annual Million- Dollar Listings Count	Multiple to National Luxury Entry
1	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$3,949,634	0.8 %	-1.1 %	9,164	3.3
2	Kahului-Wailuku, HI	$3,789,000	-3.1 %	-0.8 %	706	3.2
3	Naples-Marco Island, FL	$3,692,892	-1.2 %	8.9 %	2,100	3.1
4	Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	$3,597,500	-7.3 %	-15.6 %	528	3.0
5	San Jose-Sunnyvale- Santa Clara, CA	$3,349,600	1.5 %	-10.8 %	1,092	2.8
6	Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	$2,865,779	2.4 %	2.4 %	1,308	2.4
7	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$2,795,000	-0.2 %	-8.5 %	627	2.3
8	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$2,697,104	-0.4 %	-6.4 %	2,186	2.2
9	New York-Newark- Jersey City, NY-NJ	$2,616,178	1.1 %	-11.3 %	11,421	2.2
10	San Francisco- Oakland-Fremont, CA	$2,499,232	4.0 %	-9.2 %	2,256	2.1

Back to School: Luxury Markets and Elementary School Ratings

Location drives luxury purchases, and for many buyers that includes schools. The report compares average public elementary school ratings from GreatSchools.org for luxury homes (listings at or above the metro's 90th percentile) across the 43 metropolitan areas it tracks. Naples-Marco Island, Fla., ranks first at 9.3 out of 10, followed by Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Fla., at 9.1 and Bridgeport. Conn., at 8.5. Naples and Crestview are also the only two top 10 most expensive markets with annual price gains.

Metros With the Highest-Rated Elementary Schools Among Luxury Markets

Rank	Area	Avg. Elementary School Rating (For- Sale Luxury)	10% Most Expensive Listings Start at:	10% Most Expensive Median Days on Market	Share of Million-Dollar Listings
1	Naples-Marco Island, FL	9.3	$3,692,892	127	33.0 %
2	Crestview-Fort Walton Beach- Destin, FL	9.1	$2,865,779	115	29.5 %
3	Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	8.5	$3,597,500	65	38.2 %
4	North Port-Bradenton- Sarasota, FL	8.4	$1,775,086	135	18.5 %
5	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	8.4	$3,349,600	37	65.6 %
6	Los Angeles-Long Beach- Anaheim, CA	8.1	$3,949,634	71	50.7 %
7	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	7.9	$2,299,487	83	33.7 %
8	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	7.9	$2,223,600	115	21.3 %
9	San Diego-Chula Vista- Carlsbad, CA	7.9	$2,697,104	65	40.2 %
10	Boise City, ID	7.8	$1,392,882	64	20.8 %

Strong elementary schools aren't a shield, however. Bridgeport, Conn., ranks third on elementary schools, but its luxury threshold is down 15.6% from a year ago. The price tag isn't a grade either. Luxury begins at $900,388 in Jacksonville, Fla., and $780,487 in San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas, and both average higher elementary school ratings (7.8 and 7.4) than New York (6.7), where luxury starts at $2.62 million.

At the other end, Kahului-Wailuku, Hawaii, averages 5 out of 10, the lowest of any luxury metro and 4.3 points below Naples, Fla., despite having the second-highest luxury threshold. Urban Honolulu follows at 5.7.

Metros With the Lowest-Rated Elementary Schools Among Luxury Markets

Rank	Area	Avg. Elementary School Rating (For- Sale Luxury)	10% Most Expensive Listings Start at:	10% Most Expensive Median Days on Market	Share of Million-Dollar Listings
1	Kahului-Wailuku, HI	5.0	$3,789,000	156	48.7 %
2	Urban Honolulu, HI	5.7	$2,195,065	89	30.1 %
3	Raleigh-Cary, NC	6.1	$1,050,000	86	10.8 %
4	Riverside-San Bernardino- Ontario, CA	6.2	$1,185,150	74	13.3 %
5	Atlantic City- Hammonton, NJ	6.5	$2,469,000	72	26.0 %
6	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks- Ventura, CA	6.5	$2,795,000	86	45.5 %

The ratings cover public schools only, and many luxury buyers also weigh private options. School quality is one local factor among several and not a reliable predictor of price performance.

Methodology
All data in this report is sourced from Realtor.com^® listing trends as of September 2026, reflecting active inventory of existing homes, including single-family residences, condos, townhomes, row homes and co-ops. Listings reflect only those provided by MLS platforms to Realtor.com^® via a listing feed. New-construction listings are excluded unless actively listed on participating MLSs.

Luxury segmentation is based on market-specific price percentiles, with the 90th percentile representing entry-level luxury, the 95th percentile marking high-end luxury and the 99th percentile indicating ultraluxury. All calculations are based on listing prices, not final sales prices.

Metropolitan and micropolitan areas are defined using the Office of Management and Budget's OMB-2023 delineations, with Claritas 2025 household estimates used for relative comparisons. Where appropriate, analysis was limited to metros or micros with a minimum threshold of active million-dollar listings on average over the past year. Market-level analysis in this report covers the 43 metropolitan areas that averaged at least 500 million-dollar listings over the 12 months through September 2026.

School ratings are sourced from GreatSchools.org and reflect the 1 to 10 rating of the public elementary schools assigned to each listing. Homes without an assigned elementary school rating are excluded. Ratings do not reflect private schools, school choice programs or lottery-based admissions.

Historical listing trend data extends to July 2016, but year-over-year comparisons in this report use September 2025 as the baseline.

Luxury by the Numbers
90th percentile = Entry-level luxury (top 10% of prices)
95th percentile = High-end luxury
99th percentile = Ultraluxury (often rare or custom properties)

About Realtor.com^®
For over 30 years, Realtor.com^® has connected buyers, sellers, and renters with trusted insights, professional guidance and powerful tools to help them find their perfect home. Recognized as the No. 1 real estate site REALTOR^® agents recommend, Realtor.com^® delivers consumer connections and a robust suite of marketing tools to support business growth. Realtor.com^® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc.

Media contact: Janice McDill, press@realtor.com 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/luxury-prices-fall-for-30th-straight-month-as-big-price-tags-fail-to-guarantee-top-school-marks-realtorcom-finds-302907343.html

SOURCE Realtor.com

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

How much did Realtor.com's national luxury housing threshold fall in September 2026?

The national luxury threshold fell 3.6% year over year to $1,199,321, marking the 30th consecutive month of annual declines. It represents the entry price for the top 10% of listings nationally.

Which luxury housing markets had the highest and lowest school ratings in Realtor.com's September 2026 report?

Naples-Marco Island had the highest average public elementary school rating for luxury listings at 9.3/10, while Kahului-Wailuku had the lowest at 5.0/10. Kahului-Wailuku also had the second-highest luxury entry threshold.

How did Realtor.com select markets and school ratings for its September 2026 luxury housing report?

The market-level analysis covered 43 metropolitan areas averaging at least 500 million-dollar listings over the 12 months through September 2026. GreatSchools.org ratings covered public elementary schools assigned to listings; homes without an assigned rating were excluded. Private schools, school choice programs and lottery-based admissions were not reflected.