Relocating to Sacramento With Your Loan Ready Before You Land
Moving to the Sacramento region from out of the area? Get a local who knows the neighborhoods and can help you line up financing before you land.
Moving from the Bay Area? Compare home prices
Typical home prices here are the median sold price, existing single-family homes, August 2026. They are medians for context, not a quote on any one home.
| Place | Typical home price (median) | What it is known for | Getting to downtown Sacramento | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where Maggie works | ||||
| Sacramento County | $549,000August 2026, C.A.R. | The state capital, where the Sacramento and American rivers meet. Named the first U.S. "City of Trees" in 1978. | Downtown is in the county. SacRT Gold Line light rail runs from Folsom to downtown. | Moving to Sacramento County |
| Placer County | $692,500August 2026, C.A.R. | Roseville, Rocklin and Gold Rush Auburn, with the county reaching up I-80 to Lake Tahoe's north shore. | I-80 is the main route. Amtrak Capitol Corridor stops in Roseville, Rocklin and Auburn. | Moving to Placer County |
| El Dorado County | $690,000August 2026, C.A.R. | Sierra foothills to Lake Tahoe. Coloma is where the 1848 gold find set off the Gold Rush. | US 50 is the main route. El Dorado Hills sits on it at the Sacramento County line, next to Folsom. | Moving to El Dorado County |
| Yolo County | $648,000August 2026, C.A.R. | Davis, Woodland and West Sacramento, with farmland and the Yolo Bypass floodplain between them. | West Sacramento sits directly across the Sacramento River from downtown. | Moving to Yolo County |
| Bay Area and statewide, for comparison | ||||
| San Francisco | $1,875,000August 2026, C.A.R. | A city and county in one, at the tip of the peninsula. | Not yet published | For comparison |
| Santa Clara County | $1,900,000August 2026, C.A.R. | Silicon Valley. San Jose is the county seat. | Not yet published | For comparison |
| San Mateo County | $2,250,000August 2026, C.A.R. | The Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, home to San Francisco International Airport. | Not yet published | For comparison |
| Alameda County | $1,285,000August 2026, C.A.R. | The East Bay: Oakland, Berkeley and Fremont. | Not yet published | For comparison |
| Contra Costa County | $875,000August 2026, C.A.R. | Walnut Creek, Concord and Antioch, around Mount Diablo. | Not yet published | For comparison |
| California statewide | $901,420August 2026, C.A.R. | The statewide median, for comparison. | Not yet published | For comparison |
Prices change monthly. Ask Maggie for current numbers on a specific area.
Sources. Prices: California Association of REALTORS®, county sales activity, August 2026. C.A.R. notes that medians shift with the mix of homes sold. Place facts and travel notes, checked October 2026: Sacramento, Folsom, Placer County, El Dorado County, El Dorado Hills, Yolo County, West Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, Alameda County, Contra Costa County (Wikipedia). Drive times are not listed until a dated source is available.
Planning the whole move? Read the Sacramento relocation guide, with guides on the Bay Area move, Prop 19, downsizing, culture and healthcare.
What Relocating to Sacramento Asks of a Buyer
Relocating to Sacramento means making one of the biggest purchases of your life in a place you may have visited a handful of times. You don't yet know which streets sit close to a freeway on-ramp, how long the drive to your new office really takes, or why two similar houses a mile apart carry very different prices. A weekend of touring won't teach you that.
We act as your local eyes. We explain the region in plain terms, narrow your search to the areas that match how you'll live, and handle the parts of a purchase that can be done from a distance. You might be coming from the Bay Area, from another state, or across the country on a job transfer. Every relocating buyer gets the same thing from us: a clear picture of the market and a loan ready before you book a flight.
Plan My Move to Sacramento
How Surroundings Runs a Move From a Distance
Surroundings works from an office on Capitol Mall in downtown Sacramento. Maggie B. Hopkins is a real estate broker and a mortgage broker with 23 years in loans and real estate combined. We handle the home search and shop your financing across a network of approved lenders, so your loan can be approved before you arrive. For a buyer who lives hours away, that convenience is the point: one call, one team, one plan for the home and the loan. Explore options before you travel, and shop our quote against anyone. If you already have a lender, that works too. When you land, you tour homes you can buy, not homes you hope to qualify for.
Maggie's local knowledge goes down to the street. In East Sacramento, a house in the Fab Forties and a house the same size on a busier street like J Street can sell for very different prices, even though both are East Sac. A listing site won't tell an out-of-area buyer that. A broker with 23 years in real estate and lending here will.
Clients describe her steadiness the same way: "Even when things get hairy, Maggie has it handled." A purchase made from hundreds of miles away has more moving parts than most, and one team tracking all of them keeps the purchase on schedule.
What You Get When You Buy From Out of the Area
- A region briefing. A video call that walks through the four counties we serve, the main roads and how prices change between them.
- Loan approval before travel. Your pre-approval is done before you book a trip, so your visit is spent on homes that fit.
- Live video tours. When you can't be here, we walk the home on video and show you what photos leave out: the street, the traffic noise, the roof, the windows and the view from the back fence.
- A focused trip. When you do visit, the tour schedule is built around the homes and areas that made your shortlist.
- Remote signing. Most documents sign electronically. For the ones that need a notary, escrow can arrange a mobile notary where you are.
- Help with the home you're leaving. If you're selling a California home and you're 55 or older, we'll talk through Prop 19 and your property tax base and how to time your sale with your purchase.
Our buyer method, step by step, is on the getting to know the market page. Approval always depends on underwriting. This describes our general process and is not legal, tax, or lending advice.
Getting Around the Sacramento Region
Sacramento sits where Interstate 5, Interstate 80, Highway 50 and Highway 99 meet, and those four roads shape most commutes. Interstate 80 runs west through Davis toward the Bay Area and east through Roseville and Auburn. Highway 50 runs east through Rancho Cordova, Folsom and El Dorado Hills toward Placerville. Interstate 5 and Highway 99 both run north and south, and both pass Elk Grove.
Sacramento International Airport sits north of downtown. Amtrak's Capitol Corridor trains connect Auburn, Roseville, Sacramento and Davis with the Bay Area, which helps if you'll still travel there for work.
Sacramento City Unified, San Juan Unified and Elk Grove Unified school districts serve much of Sacramento County, and Davis Joint Unified School District serves Davis. We can tell you which district serves any address you are considering. Confirm the assigned school with the district directly.
Relocating to Sacramento and the Counties Around It
Your new address could be in any of four counties, and each one trades price, space and drive time differently.
- Relocating to Sacramento County, from downtown to Elk Grove, Carmichael and Folsom.
- Relocating to Placer County, including Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln and Auburn.
- Relocating to El Dorado County, from El Dorado Hills to Placerville.
- Relocating to Yolo County, including West Sacramento, Davis and Woodland.
For prices next to the Bay Area, Prop 19, healthcare and the culture here, read our Sacramento relocation guide.
Are you moving here for a 55+ community? Browse our guide to 55+ communities around Sacramento. Are you using a VA benefit for the move? See VA and military home buying.
Plan Your Move When Relocating to Sacramento
If you're relocating to Sacramento, the best first step happens before any trip: a video call to talk through where you'll work, how you want to live and what you want to spend. Schedule your relocation call and we'll send you a short list of areas and a pre-approval plan.
Loans are arranged by Maggie B. Hopkins, NMLS #349517, at Surroundings, NMLS #2528307. All loans are subject to credit approval and underwriting, and this page is not a commitment to lend.
Want to live here a while before you buy? Read Try Before You Buy on renting first, and see every guide on the relocation hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy a home in Sacramento without seeing it in person?
Yes. Live video tours, an inspection you can join by video and electronic signing make it possible. Plan on one visit before closing if you can, and we'll plan that trip so every hour counts.
When should I get pre-approved if I'm relocating?
Before you book your house-hunting trip. A pre-approval sets your price range, lets you make an offer the day you find the right home and keeps your trip focused on homes you can close on.
Which part of the Sacramento region should I live in?
That depends on where you'll work, how you'll commute and what kind of home you want. We start with those three answers, then show you the areas and price ranges that match. We describe homes and places, and the choice is yours.
Can I keep my low property tax base if I move from the Bay Area?
If you're 55 or older, Prop 19 may let you move your tax base from a California primary residence to a replacement home here. The claim isn't automatic and deadlines apply, so our Prop 19 guide is worth reading before you sell.
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Ready to make your move with Surroundings?