Is a Quiet Sedona Market Hiding Inside the Seasonal Home Count? Reading Redfin, Zillow and the Census Vacancy Table

Which Sedona price figure should an owner trust, and why do they disagree?

They disagree by a wide margin. Redfin's median sale price is $1,009,563 for the three months to August 2026, Zillow's index is $980,600 as of August 31, and Realtor.com's median sold price is $1,320,000 for a month the page calls April 2026. Redfin's median is 3.0% above Zillow's index, computed here, and Realtor.com's sold median is 30.7% above Redfin's. The first gap is ordinary, since one is a median of sales and the other an index of estimates. The second is too large to ignore.

Directions disagree as well. Redfin shows a fall of 13.3%, which implies about $1,164,433 a year earlier. Zillow shows a fall of 0.6%, which implies about $986,519. Realtor.com shows its sold median up 27.54%, which implies about $1,034,969 a year earlier and, with a three-year rise of 13.79%, about $1,160,032 three years earlier. A fall of 13.3% and a rise of 27.54% cannot both describe the same homes, and they are measured over different months.

One likely cause is that a small number of high-priced sales moves a median in a small market. Redfin counts 70 sales in August and Realtor.com's April page shows 212 active listings, a number that is small beside a town with 8,105 homes. In a market like that, a month with several sales of large estates raises the median, and a month without them lowers it. This is an inference from the sample sizes and not a finding from any source.

Realtor.com's listing median of $1,380,000 is down 7.07% in a year, which implies about $1,484,989 a year earlier, and up 6.15% in three years, which implies about $1,300,047. Asking prices are 36.7% above Redfin's median sale price, computed here. That gap is a mix of month, mix of homes and negotiation. Redfin says the average home sold about 4% below its list price, which fits a market in which asking prices run ahead of closings.

Price per foot gives a steadier read. Redfin shows $506, up 2.2%, which implies about $495 a year earlier, and Realtor.com shows $567, up 3.47% in a year and up 8.83% in three years. Both rise slightly, and they differ by 12.1% of Redfin's figure. For a home with views and land, though, price per foot is only a rough guide. The best test for an owner is a closed sale of a home like theirs in the same pocket of town, within the last six months.

Sources as cited. Ratios and year-earlier values in this section are computed from the published figures and percentages.

How slow is the Sedona market, and who is on the other side of a sale?

Redfin calls the market somewhat competitive, with a score of 49. That is below the middle of the scale, which runs from 0 to 100. The average home sold about 4% below list and took about 60 days to go pending. Hot homes sold around list in about 27 days. Only 13.2% of sales went above list, down 2.1 points, which implies about 15.3% a year earlier. A seller who prices at the top of the range should expect a negotiation and not a bidding contest.

Days on market have improved, not worsened. Redfin shows 54 days against 66 a year before, a fall of 18.2%, computed here, and Zillow shows around 30 days to pending for the city. Realtor.com's April figure was 55 days, up 3.77% in a year, which implies about 53 a year earlier, and up 10% in three years, which implies about 50. These clocks start and stop at different points, so the gap between 30 and 54 is not a contradiction.

Sales are rising while prices fall. Redfin shows 70 sales in August, up 7.7% from 65, with a median price down 13.3%. More homes sold at lower prices is consistent with sellers adjusting, and it is also consistent with a different mix of homes. Active listings in Realtor.com's April page, 212, were down 12.57% in a year, which implies about 242 a year earlier, and up 26.41% in three years, which implies about 168. Supply has fallen from last year and is still above three years ago.

Rentals are a small market and swing hard. Realtor.com shows 29 rental properties, down 47.37% in a year, which implies about 55, and down 33.33% in three years, which implies about 43. The median rent of $2,725 is down 31.87% in a year, which implies about $4,000, and down 40.11% in three years, which implies about $4,550. With so few rentals, a handful of leases can change the median by hundreds of dollars, so the fall is not evidence of a trend. The Census median rent is $1,469, plus or minus $189.

For a seller, the point is that the buyers in a town like this often come from elsewhere and shop for a lifestyle. They may take months to decide and may weigh a home against a plane ticket. That makes a listing a long exposure, with showings that interrupt the seller's own use of the home. A private buyer who has already decided can compress that wait, and the seller still chooses a closing date that fits the move.

A fourth gauge is the Redfin phrase about offers. It says some homes get multiple offers, which means that the better homes, priced well, still draw competition even in a market where the average home sells below list. The spread between the average home and the hot home is the point: a hot home goes pending in about 27 days around list price, and an average home takes about 60 days and gives up about 4%. A seller's result depends more on price, condition and presentation than on the headline median, and that is the case for pricing from closed sales of near neighbors.

Sources as cited. Year-earlier values and differences are computed from the published percentages.

What does the Census vacancy table say about Sedona homes and who lives in them?

Vacancy is the headline. Of 8,105 housing units, 2,181 are vacant, 26.9%. Of those, 1,672 are held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, 76.7% of the vacant and 20.6% of all units. Another 258 are for rent, 15 are rented and not yet occupied, 26 are for sale only, 16 are sold and not yet occupied, none are for migrant workers and 194 are vacant for other reasons. So homes for sale are only 0.5% of the stock at the survey's moments, and the rest of the vacancy is second homes.

Second homes mean owners who live elsewhere. A household that keeps a home here for part of the year decides when to sell on grounds that a local resident does not share: taxes on two homes, upkeep from a distance, a change in how often the family visits or a move of the main residence. Their home sits empty for months, and a listing means showings arranged by remote and a property that must look ready. That is an inference from the vacancy table and not a measure of any owner's reasons.

The population is older than in most towns in this series. Of 11,381 people counted, 1,279, or 11.2%, are under 18, 254, or 2.2%, are 18 to 24, 1,107, or 9.7%, are 25 to 34, 1,156, or 10.2%, are 35 to 44, 3,496, or 30.7%, are 45 to 64 and 4,089, or 35.9%, are 65 or older. The Census margin on the total is plus or minus 354. Together the 45 to 64 and 65-plus groups are 66.6% of residents.

Incomes are modest beside prices. The Census median household income is $68,435, plus or minus $8,611, and the median owner value is $774,800, plus or minus $57,944, which is 11.3 times income. Redfin's median sale price is 14.8 times income. Retired households live on savings, pensions and the sale of an earlier home, so income understates the buying power of many owners. The ratio mostly says that buyers here are not drawn from local wages.

Owners are mostly settled. Of 4,298 owner households, 100 moved in during 2023 or later, 2.3%, 744 between 2020 and 2022, 17.3%, 1,941 between 2010 and 2019, 45.2%, 662 between 2000 and 2009, 15.4%, 616 in the 1990s, 14.3%, and 235 before 1990, 5.5%. So 19.6% arrived since 2020 and 64.8% since 2010. Owners are 72.6% of occupied homes, and renters 27.4%.

One more reading of the vacancy table helps a seller who lives elsewhere. Seasonal homes are counted in the Census at the time of the survey, spread across the year, so the share varies by season. The 1,672 homes are an average picture and not a count for any one month. Still, a town in which one home in five is used part of the year has a different rhythm from one in which nearly every home is a primary residence, with quieter streets in some months, fewer neighbors who can watch a home and a market whose buyers often arrive from other states.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B01001, B19013, B25003, B25004, B25038, B25077; shares are computed here.

What kind of homes are they, and what do owners carry?

Most homes are detached. Of 8,105 units, 5,608, or 69.2%, are detached houses, 472, or 5.8%, are attached, 97 are in two-unit buildings, 51 are in buildings of three or four units, 400 are in buildings of five to nine, 91 in ten to nineteen, 68 in twenty to forty-nine and 49 in fifty or more. Another 1,269, or 15.7%, are mobile homes. Mobile homes are a large share, and they trade very differently from houses, which is a further reason a postal-area median is not a guide to a single home.

The homes are newer than in the older cities in this series. Of 8,105 units, 166, or 2.0%, were built in 2020 or later, 454, or 5.6%, in the 2010s, 1,322, or 16.3%, in the 2000s, 1,702, or 21.0%, in the 1990s, 1,911, or 23.6%, in the 1980s, 1,561, or 19.3%, in the 1970s, 440, or 5.4%, in the 1960s, 344, or 4.2%, in the 1950s, 170, or 2.1%, in the 1940s and 35, or 0.4%, before 1940. The median build year is 1988, and 31.5% were built before 1980.

Homes are fairly large. Of 4,298 owner households, 29 live in a home with no bedroom, 109 in a one-bedroom, 1,382 in a two-bedroom, 2,083 in a three-bedroom, 605 in a four-bedroom and 90 in one with five or more. Three-bedroom homes are 48.5% of owner homes, two-bedroom homes 32.2%, and homes with four or more bedrooms 16.2%. Renters are in smaller homes: 1,006 of 1,626, 61.9%, are in two-bedroom homes.

Most owners hold no mortgage. Of 4,298 owners, 1,833 have a mortgage, 42.6%, and 2,465 do not, 57.4%. Among the 1,805 with a mortgage and a computed figure, 906 spent 30% or more of income on housing, 50.2%, and 520 spent half or more, 28.8%. Among the 2,458 without a mortgage and with a computed figure, 596 spent 30% or more, 24.2%, and 368 spent half or more, 15.0%. A seller without a loan has no payoff to settle at closing.

Renters carry heavy costs. Of 1,626 renter households, 110 had no computed figure. Among the other 1,516, 725 spent 30% or more of income on rent, 47.8%, and 239 spent half or more, 15.8%. Renters moved in recently: 90 in 2023 or later, 444 between 2020 and 2022 and 921 between 2010 and 2019, so 32.8% arrived since 2020. For an owner who rents out a second home, the figures suggest tenants who stretch to pay, which is a reason to price repairs and turnover into any decision.

Land and views matter more here than in the older cities in this series, and no public table measures them. Two homes of the same size and age can differ by hundreds of thousands of dollars in value, depending on the lot, the outlook and the access. This is a reason to read each published median as a range of homes, not a price list, and to ask any buyer, public or private, how they arrived at a number for the particular home and whether they have seen it in person. Readers comparing markets can also read the Flagstaff brief and the Tucson brief.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B25003, B25024, B25034, B25038, B25042, B25070 and B25091, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

What should a Sedona owner ask before choosing a public listing or a private sale?

Five questions are worth asking. Is my price based on closed sales of homes like mine, and not on a median that is moved by a few large estates? How long can I carry the home while it sits on the market? Who will show it, and how often will the home be disturbed? What will the fees and the buyer's repair requests cost me? And what date do I need to close?

Fees are simple arithmetic, and no rate is assumed here. Each 1% of a $450,000 sale is $4,500, of a $725,000 sale is $7,250 and of a $1,200,000 sale is $12,000. Three percent is $13,500, $21,750 and $36,000, and five percent is $22,500, $36,250 and $60,000. On the Redfin median of $1,009,563, 1% is $10,096, 3% is $30,287 and 5% is $50,478. The average home sold about 4% below list, which on that median is about $42,065 below the asking price, computed here.

A private sale has no showings and no neighbors talking about it, which is the first benefit. For a second-home owner, a quiet sale also avoids a listing that tells a small town the home is available. The second benefit is a closing date that fits the seller, which is useful for an owner who needs time to move belongings or find the next home. The third and fourth are no commission costs and no closing costs, and the fifth is no inspection repairs.

An owner of a home built in the 1980s or 1990s, which is where most of this stock sits, may face a buyer's inspection list of roof, heating, cooling, windows and water systems that have reached the end of their life. Desert sun is hard on roofs and cooling equipment. That is an inference from the age of the stock, not a finding from any source, and it is a reason to price a sale with no repairs against a sale with a list.

Maison Off-Market buys luxury homes and estates directly from their owners and speaks only to sellers. It does not say that a private sale always beats a public listing, and in a market where the average home sold about 4% below list, an owner is right to compare carefully. If you would like a private, no-obligation offer for a home in Sedona, call 401-219-4207 or use the contact form on this site.

Sources as cited. Fee illustrations are arithmetic only and assume no commission rate.

Methodology and limitations

Each page's date, title and place were read before use. The Redfin page is for the three months ending August 2026. The Zillow pages state that they were updated on August 31, 2026. The Realtor.com page is labeled with key indicators as of April 2026, five months old, and its sold median conflicts with Redfin's, so it is reported and flagged and not relied on for direction. Only established data publishers and the Census are cited. The Census figures are five-year estimates for the postal area that includes Sedona. Percent changes were taken as printed, and ratios, sums, fee figures and year-earlier values are this brief's arithmetic.

Conclusion

The record for Sedona is a price near one million dollars, a Redfin median that has fallen by about an eighth while Zillow's index is flat, homes that sell about 4% below list in about two months, and a stock in which one home in five is held for seasonal use and more than a third of residents are 65 or older. The useful number for an owner is a closed sale of a comparable home, and a private buyer can price the home as it stands and close on the owner's schedule.