Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

Malibu sales picked up, even with more homes on the market

By Shane Marechal

Real estate, Malibu

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 64 homes sold in ZIP 90265 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 36.2% from the same months a year before. More buyers showed up. That is the headline.

Here is the context. Realtor.com reported 1.16 million active listings nationally in September 2026. Buyers had plenty of options everywhere. Malibu still pulled them in. That matters if you are selling.

But more sellers showed up too. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 163 new listings in those same three months, up 18.1% year over year. Total inventory sat at 291 homes for sale. Supply is real. Buyers are comparing.

Price and pace: what the numbers say

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price in ZIP 90265 at $2,861,000 for those three months. That is down 7% from the same period in 2025. More homes sold, but sellers gave a little on price to get there.

Homes took a median of 95 days to sell, seven days longer than a year ago. The average sale came in at 93.2% of list price, down 1.6 points year over year. Most homes sold below asking. That is where pricing strategy lives.

One bright spot: 13.9% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. That is up 5.3 points year over year, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. The right price, priced right from day one, still moves fast.

Pending sales hit 72 in those three months, up 24.1% year over year. The pipeline going forward looks stronger than last year. That is a real signal.

The national rate picture adds pressure

Realtor.com reported mortgage rates climbed above 7% for the first time since January 2025. That is a real cost for any buyer financing a purchase. In Malibu, where many buyers pay cash or carry large loans, the rate effect varies. But it is not nothing.

Realtor.com also reported that 20.8% of listings nationally took a price cut in September 2026, the highest share since October 2022. Malibu's own median dipped 7% year over year. The national trend and the local one are pointing the same direction.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. home prices rose 2.4% from August 2025 to August 2026. Malibu's median moved the other way. That gap is worth knowing if you are setting a list price.

What this means if you own here

Demand improved. That is real. But 13.9 months of supply means buyers are not rushed. They are comparing your home to 290 others. Price and condition decide which ones sell in two weeks and which ones sit for 95 days.

Also: get your fire insurance sorted early. Availability and cost in Malibu can change whether a deal works. The California FAIR Plan plus a wraparound policy may be what a buyer needs. That conversation should happen before escrow, not during it.

One more thing: these numbers cover all of ZIP 90265. One street, one canyon, one view corridor can read very differently from the ZIP as a whole. The aggregate tells you the direction. Your specific block tells you the number.