Lincoln, CA sits in South Placer County on the northern edge of the Sacramento metro area. If you are looking at homes for sale in Lincoln, CA, this report walks through the Lincoln housing market using the latest YTD indicators for pricing, sales activity, inventory, and days on market if you are looking at buying a home in Lincoln CA. 

Tracking these trends helps buyers, sellers, and local agents understand how quickly properties move, how list price and sale price compare, and where value is changing in 2025.

What is the Current State of the Lincoln Real Estate Market?

Through October 2025 the Lincoln market looks largely stable. Median sale prices sit near $612,500 year-to-date, while average days on market have increased to roughly 41 days compared with the prior year. Inventory is higher than the pandemic-era lows, which has eased some immediate seller pressure but has not created an oversupply.

In practical terms, that means pricing has been steady rather than rapidly rising or falling. Buyers have more options and modest negotiation room on many listings, while sellers still find strong demand for well-priced, well-located homes. This is particularly prevelant in neighborhoods like Sun City Lincoln Hills and golf-course areas.

Average List Price

The average list price for active Lincoln listings sits in the low-to-mid $600,000s as of the end of October 2025. Zillow’s listing snapshot for October 31, 2025 shows a median list price near $637,750, which is a useful benchmark for current asking prices across the city. List price varies by neighborhood and product type, with Sun City Lincoln Hills and golf-course adjacent properties commonly carrying a premium compared with newer tract homes. 

Average Sales Price

The median sale price in Lincoln was about $612,500 in October 2025, which reflects what typical buyers actually paid year-to-date. That median sale figure is the clearest snapshot of market value and the best single metric for comparing list prices to realized sale outcomes.

Average sale price per square foot and sale-to-list ratios vary across Lincoln’s micro-markets, with differences between Sun City Lincoln Hills, newer tract neighborhoods, and golf-course areas. Use recent closed-sales comps and per-square-foot figures to see how a specific property stacks up against nearby Rocklin or Roseville.

Number of Homes Listed

Inventory in Lincoln rose compared with the leanest periods of 2020–2021. Zillow recorded roughly 280 active listings in late October 2025 on the broader Lincoln market footprint, which gives buyers more choices than a tight market but still represents a limited supply relative to much larger suburbs. Watch active inventory as the primary short-term signal of shifting buyer or seller leverage.

Number of Homes Sold

Redfin reports that about 88 homes sold in Lincoln in October 2025, which is fewer than in October of the previous year. Looking at closed sales month by month, including this October, can help you gauge how active the market is. When sales slow down while more listings pile up, it is often a sign that buyer demand is easing.

Average Days on Market

Redfin’s October 2025 snapshot reports that homes in Lincoln took about 41 days on average to go under contract, up from around 36 days the year before. That extra time on the market, compared with last year, can point to more cautious buyers, more choices on the market, or sellers needing to adjust list prices, whether in long-established neighbourhoods or newer subdivisions.

Price Drops

Local and national data from Zillow and other tracker reports in 2025 show a higher share of listings taking price cuts than in earlier years, and Lincoln has seen a meaningful portion of listings sell below original list price in recent months. Zillow’s market commentary for 2025 reports elevated price-cut activity, which is one of the forces keeping negotiation leverage more balanced than during the peak seller market period. Use percent-of-list-price and recent price cut history on the MLS when preparing or evaluating offers.

How Have Home Values Changed in Lincoln?

Below are change windows commonly used by local agents to frame value movement. Sources differ slightly on exact percentages; where numbers conflict I note the source and date so you can compare methodologies.

One-Year Change

Redfin shows Lincoln prices up about 0.2% year-over-year in October 2025, with a median sale price near $612,500 for that month. That indicates a largely flat 12-month trend at the city level.

Zillow’s home value index for Lincoln shows a small year-over-year decline in average home value on some Lincoln ZIP breakdowns. The differences reflect methodology and the mix of homes sold in a given month. When comparing “since last year,” look at both ZHVI and recent closed sales on the MLS to reconcile the picture.

Three-Year Change

Over a three-year view to 2025, Lincoln’s values are higher than pre-pandemic baselines and reflect the outsized appreciation that many California suburbs saw between 2020 and 2023. Zillow and county-level compilations show that Lincoln gained materially from 2020–2023, then flattened in 2024–2025 as mortgage rates rose. Use a three-year window to see the market’s structural appreciation beyond short-term rate cycles.

Five-Year Change

Over the past five years, home values in Lincoln have climbed faster than the area’s older long-term norms, in line with many parts of California outside the big city centres. Data from national housing researchers and Zillow’s five-year indexes show strong overall price gains from 2020 to 2025, even though the pace of increases has eased over the last year.

Ten-Year Change

A ten-year view shows steady, compounded price growth for Lincoln as South Placer County suburbanization, improved commute access to Sacramento, and new housing in nearby Rocklin and Roseville supported demand. County records and long-term Zillow indices capture this cumulative appreciation; use the decade figure for planning and tax-basis context rather than short-term buying decisions.

How Are Mortgage Rates?

As of late November 2025 the 30-year fixed averaged about 6.23 percent. Forecasters expect rates to stay in the low- to mid-6 percent range near term, with modest easing possible over the next 12 months if inflation continues to fall. In the short-term, the outlook will look like this:

1. Next 3 months: likely low- to mid-6s unless a major macro surprise moves Treasury yields.
2. 3–6 months: movement will depend on inflation readings and Fed guidance.
3. 12 months: some forecasters see room for rates to ease, but timing is uncertain.

Buyers should model affordability at several rate scenarios and talk to lenders about preapproval ranges. Sellers may see faster activity if rates decline; higher rates tend to reduce competition and can lengthen days on market.

Is it a Buyer or Seller’s Market in Lincoln?

Right now Lincoln looks closest to a balanced market with local variation. Median sale prices in the mid-$600,000s and a rise in days on market versus last year point to softer seller leverage than the peak seller market years, while inventory remains tighter than in much larger Sacramento suburbs.

Practically, that means many listings allow some negotiation, but well-priced, well-located homes; especially in Sun City Lincoln Hills and near golf amenities; can still draw multiple offers. Accurate pricing and timely marketing matter most; homes that are properly listed and staged move faster, while mispriced listings are more likely to require price reductions.

Market Signals, Inventory, and Climate Risks

Through October 2025, short-term market signals like pending activity, active inventory, and home prices, paint a more measured picture. Comparing pending counts to active listings shows that the number of homes listed versus homes sold last month, including homes sold in October this year, points to easing competition compared with the hottest seller markets. Average days on the market compared to days last year are higher, which gives buyers modest negotiation room even as median sale price per square foot and the sale price of a home remain key anchors for valuation.

Those shifts matter for both buyers and households deciding whether to rent or buy. Rising inventory and slower turnover have pulled Lincoln closer to broader CA housing market trends and other local market trends; owners weighing rent versus sale should watch local rent levels, per-neighborhood sale-to-list behavior, and metrics such as average Lincoln list price or walk score when they locate a property.

Climate’s impact and local management factors also affect value and insurability: heat that could impact homes, mapped flood zones, and wildfire risk influence insurance and long-term household costs. Consult Placer County planning maps and FEMA flood data when comparing house price and housing market trends between Lincoln and nearby Rocklin or Roseville.

FAQs

What was the median sale price in Lincoln in October 2025?

Redfin lists the median sale price in Lincoln at about $612,500 for October 2025, a year-over-year reading that was essentially flat compared to the prior October. Use this as the most recent closed-sales benchmark.

How long are homes taking to sell in Lincoln compared to last year?

Average days on market were around 41 days in October 2025, up from roughly 36 days the year before; that indicates a slower pace than last year but not an extreme market slowdown.

How many homes sold in Lincoln in October this year?

Redfin reported about 88 homes sold in Lincoln in October 2025. That monthly sold count helps show whether demand is rising or falling against active inventory.

How should I compare Lincoln to nearby Rocklin or Roseville?

Compare sale price, days on market, and inventory per ZIP on Realtor, Zillow, and Redfin pages to see micro-market differences. Rocklin and Roseville often show higher listing velocity and different price points; use per-square-foot and median listing numbers to compare directly.

Are schools in Lincoln part of a single district?

Yes. Lincoln is served by Western Placer Unified School District, which handles elementary through high school assignments for the city. For school-specific data and enrollment, consult district pages and current enrollment releases.

How do environmental factors like heat or flood zones affect value in Lincoln?

Environmental factors can move value in Lincoln, but usually in very specific ways. Homes inside designated flood zones often carry higher insurance premiums, which can shrink a buyer’s monthly budget and affect how they compare that home to others. In the foothill areas where wildfire exposure is part of the landscape, buyers pay close attention to defensible space, roof materials, and any past mitigation work. Properties with lower ongoing risk and lower insurance costs tend to draw stronger interest and hold value more predictably.