August in the Greater Palm Springs region is always a study in stillness – the heat, the hush, the slower pace. The housing market leaned into that rhythm this year: sales found a lower, steadier gear; time on market stretched; and leverage continued to tilt toward well-prepared buyers. But the story wasn’t one-note. Single-family homes and condos moved differently, and city-by-city results zigged and zagged.
Local agents captured the moment bluntly. “Buyers feel in control in today’s market,” says Palm Desert-based realtor Jon Gordon of Rosenthal Associates. Gordon, who closely tracks the desert market and has a long-standing presence in town, also referred to it as “slower sales, longer market times, and a gradual return to balance,” adding that summer is still a “season of opportunity.” Gordon said that the regional real estate market is one that’s adjusting, not crashing. But when it comes to pricing, he says that buyers will not overpay.
What changed in August 2025 (valley-wide)
Single-family homes (detached)
- Sales: 397 closed (+5.6% YoY).
- Median price: $620,000 (-0.8% YoY; -4.6% vs. July).
- Inventory: 2,417 homes (+9.4% YoY; -9.6% vs. July).
- Days on market: 76 (up from 60 a year ago).
- Months of supply:7 (vs. 5.3 last August).
- Sales-to-list price:2%.
- Went under contract: 506 (+48.8% YoY).
Interpret it as: A cooler, longer market that still found buyers, especially for homes that were realistically priced. The significant increase in accepted offers suggests that shoppers used August to secure deals ahead of the fall.
Condos & townhomes (attached)
- Sales: 146 (-13.1% YoY).
- Median price: $450,000 (+4.5% YoY; +8.4% MoM).
- Inventory: 991 (+8.5% YoY; -13.1% vs. July).
- Days on market: 76 (66 a year ago).
- Months of supply:4 (vs. 4.8 last August).
- Sales-to-list:0%.
- New listings: 199 (-24.9% YoY).
- Under contract: 188 (+27.0% YoY).
Interpret it as: Fewer closings, firmer prices, and shrinking new supply. The condo market felt tighter than single-family homes, even as time on market crept higher.
Where the dust settled (city snapshots)
A few standouts from August’s city-level ledger:
- Rancho Mirage: Median sold price $1.2M (+11.11% YoY); 37 sales; ~77 DOM.
- Indio: Median $569,900 (+6.52% YoY); 91 sales; ~79 DOM.
- Cathedral City: Median $562,000 (+5.05% YoY); 50 sales; ~49 DOM.
- Palm Springs: 51 sales (+12 vs. Aug. ’24); median $925,000 (-8.87% YoY); ~96 DOM.
- La Quinta: 70 sales (+23 YoY); median $695,000 (-26.06% YoY); ~79 DOM.
- Indian Wells: 10 sales (-2 YoY); median $1,195,000 (-36.35% YoY); ~69 DOM.
The split is clear: some of the valley’s pricier enclaves (Rancho Mirage) climbed, while others (Indian Wells, La Quinta) reset lower even as activity improved. Mid-priced cities such as Indio and Cathedral City posted steadier gains.
Those readouts match the numbers: months of supply near six for both property types, sale-to-list ratios in the mid-90s, and longer marketing times, conditions that reward clean pricing, turnkey condition, and patience from sellers, and give buyers room to negotiate without rushing.
Bottom line
August 2025 delivered a classic desert summer: cooler sales tempo, longer timelines, and a gentle lean toward buyers with pockets of strength (notably condos holding price and cities like Rancho Mirage and Indio). If you’re selling, price to the market you have, not the one you remember. If you’re buying, your leverage is real, but so is the competition for the best-kept, best-located homes.
Market-wide single-family home and condo metrics are from Jon Gordon with Palm Desert-based Rosenthal Associates via the California Desert Association of REALTORS®/REsource Analytix August 2025 summaries. All figures reference August 2025 unless noted.
