Short answer: Albany is a 1.8-square-mile city of 20,271 people wedged between Berkeley and El Cerrito, with its own school district and one main street. Over the three months ending June 2026, per Redfin, the median sale price was $1,484,192, homes sold in a median of 16 days, and 75.2% closed above list, on just 33 sales.
What Albany actually is
Albany is one of the smallest and densest cities in the Bay Area: 20,271 residents as of the 2020 census on about 1.8 square miles of land. You can walk across it. Berkeley is south and east, El Cerrito north, the bay west, Kensington on the hill above.
The origin story is better than most. Albany incorporated in 1908 after residents staged an armed protest against Berkeley dumping garbage there, and was renamed in 1909 for Albany, New York. The borders were drawn to exclude the area north of Solano Avenue, then a refugee camp for people displaced by the 1906 earthquake. That strip was subdivided in 1909 and 1917 and became Berkeley's Thousand Oaks, which is why the city line does something strange near Solano.
Solano Avenue, and the rest of the map
Solano Avenue runs roughly two miles across Albany and into Berkeley, doing the work a downtown would do in a larger city. Corridor landmarks include the 1925 Oaks Theater, the site of the first Andronico's, and the 1911 Northbrae Tunnel at the Berkeley end.
The Solano Avenue Stroll, founded in 1974-75, runs on the second Sunday of September, which this year is September 13. Attendance is cited well above 100,000, and the city and other sources put it over 250,000. The Library of Congress named it a National Local Legacy in 2001.
The Albany Bulb, a former landfill peninsula that spent years as an unofficial art colony, is now part of Eastshore State Park. The biggest open question in Albany is Golden Gate Fields, which closed in June 2024. What replaces that waterfront acreage is an active local conversation. I will not forecast an outcome, because nobody credible can yet.
What homes cost
Here is Redfin data for Albany and its neighbors, all three months ending June 2026 and all the same methodology, so the columns are comparable.
Market | Median sale price | Median days on market | % sold above list | Homes sold | Price per sq ft | Compete score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berkeley | $1,509,179 | 15 | 83.1% | 228 | $944 | 92 |
Albany | $1,484,192 | 16 | 75.2% | 33 | $954 | 89 |
El Cerrito | $1,179,358 | 14 | 90.4% | 52 | $672 | 95 |
Richmond | $649,646 | 17 | 64.0% | 207 | $499 | 88 |
Two things jump out. First, Albany's $954 per square foot is the highest of the four, above Berkeley's $944, while its median sale price sits below Berkeley's. That is what a city of small lots looks like: buyers pay a premium per foot and get fewer feet.
Second, and more important: 33 sales. I will not quote you an Albany year-over-year percentage, because in a market this small the median moves on which houses happened to close, not on appreciation. In 2026 Albany's median has run roughly between $1.48 million and $1.59 million depending on the period measured. Treat that range as the honest answer.
Thin volume does not make it easy. Three quarters of Albany sales closed above list in a median of 16 days, so expect to compete, and read the El Cerrito guide before deciding Albany is the only option at this price.
Schools
Schools are why many Albany buyers are here. Albany Unified serves 3,694 students across six schools, small enough that families know the whole system rather than just their own campus.
The most useful published number I have on the district is attendance: as of 2025, 89% of Albany Unified students attend school nearly every day, against 81% statewide. It is an unglamorous statistic, and I would rather hand you that than a composite ranking that changes methodology every year.
If school assignment is the reason you are buying here, verify current boundaries and enrollment policy with the district before you write an offer. An agent's summary is not the authority.
Transportation, and what you owe when you sell
Albany has no BART station of its own. El Cerrito Plaza serves northern Albany, and it will be a construction site for several years: roughly 750 residential units across six buildings, with parking dropping from 761 spaces to 145 and the north lot closed starting November 2025. That affects your daily routine before it affects your property value. More in 750 homes are coming to El Cerrito Plaza BART.
On the selling side, Albany's transfer tax is one of the higher city rates in Alameda County.
Component on a $1,500,000 Albany sale | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Alameda County documentary transfer tax | $1.10 per $1,000 | $1,650 |
City of Albany transfer tax | $15.00 per $1,000 | $22,500 |
Total transfer tax | — | $24,150 |
Kensington, up the hill in Contra Costa County, has no city transfer tax at all, only the county's $1.10 per $1,000. More on that in the Kensington guide. Title, escrow and commission are separate and negotiable, so confirm your closing figures with a title officer.
Who Albany fits, and who it does not
Albany works for people who want a small, walkable, self-governing city with its own school district and are content with a modest house on a modest lot. It works less well for buyers who need square footage or a yard, because at $954 per square foot the city charges a premium for the thing it has least of.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a house in Albany, CA cost in 2026?
Over the three months ending June 2026, Redfin put Albany's median sale price at $1,484,192, at $954 per square foot, on 33 sales. Across 2026 the median has run roughly between $1.48 million and $1.59 million depending on the period measured. Volume is thin enough that any single-quarter percentage change should be treated as noise rather than as appreciation.
Is Albany, CA a competitive market for buyers?
Yes. In the three months ending June 2026, 75.2% of Albany homes sold above list price in a median of 16 days, and Redfin assigns the city a Compete Score of 89. The larger obstacle is not price but supply: only 33 homes sold in the period, so buyers frequently wait weeks for anything that fits their requirements to come to market.
Does Albany have its own school district?
Yes. Albany Unified School District serves 3,694 students across six schools, separate from Berkeley Unified and West Contra Costa Unified. As of 2025, 89% of Albany Unified students attended school nearly every day, compared with 81% statewide. Verify current attendance boundaries and enrollment policy directly with the district before buying a home for a specific school.
What is the transfer tax when selling a home in Albany?
Albany charges $15.00 per $1,000 of sale price, and Alameda County adds $1.10 per $1,000. On a $1,500,000 sale that is $22,500 to the city and $1,650 to the county, or $24,150 total. Title, escrow and commission are separate and negotiable. Confirm your figures with a title officer before you rely on them for planning.
Does Albany have a BART station?
No. Albany has no station within its borders. The El Cerrito Plaza station serves northern Albany and is the practical option for most residents. That station is being redeveloped with roughly 750 residential units across six buildings, and station parking is dropping from 761 spaces to 145, so commuters who currently drive and park should plan for several years of disruption.
Sources
- Redfin, median sale price and market metrics, three months ending June 2026 — link
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 census, City of Albany — link
- City of Albany, history and land area — link
- Solano Avenue Association, Solano Avenue Stroll — link
- Albany Unified School District, enrollment and 2025 attendance — link
- Alameda County Clerk-Recorder, transfer tax rates — link
- BART, El Cerrito Plaza transit-oriented development — link
Mark Lederer leads The Lederer Team at Red Oak Realty, with 25 years and more than 1,000 closed transactions on the corridor from Berkeley through Albany to El Cerrito, where a three-block move changes your school district, your transfer tax and your commute. Call 510-774-4231 or email [email protected]; buyers can set up a consultation and owners can start with a home valuation.
