For some who can’t afford a home in California, all they have to do is wait.
In Monterey, Santa Cruz, Napa and Marin counties, more than 1 in 4 homes that changed hands in 2025 were inherited, not purchased. That was far higher than the statewide rate of 16%, which itself was double the national figure.
Homes in other wealthy coastal counties are similarly likely to transfer via inheritance. About 22% of San Francisco homes that changed ownership in 2025 were passed on to an heir, according to an analysis of property records data by Cotality, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal…