PLACEHOLDER — El Dorado Hills Town Center (100-acre mixed-use downtown with retail, dining, amphitheater and cinema), El Dorado Hills
El Dorado Hills real estate,
seen through a builder’s eye.
El Dorado Hills sits in the oak-studded foothills of western El Dorado County, 25 to 30 minutes east of downtown Sacramento on US-50, and has become one of the Sacramento region's premier addresses for buyers trading Bay Area equity for space, top-rated schools, and Folsom Lake views. From Serrano's gated golf-course estates to Blackstone's brand-new resort-style clubhouse community, EDH offers a range few Sacramento suburbs can match — and after 30 years building and remodeling homes across Northern California, Val Teplyuk knows exactly which era of EDH construction rewards a careful eye and which hides costly surprises behind fresh paint.
The El Dorado Hills market
$875,000 (Redfin, Feb 2026); Zillow typical home value ~$908,700 Median sale price Mixed signals in 2026 — Redfin shows +2.9% YoY in February easing to about -5.6% YoY by May as more inventory hit the upper price tiers
34 days average citywide (Feb-May 2026), ranging from 44 days in the $750K-$1M band to 73+ days above $1.25M Avg days on market
3.1 months citywide, tight at 2.2 months under $750K but ballooning to 9.2 months in the $1.75M-$2M luxury band Months of supply
Representative 2026 figures (Zillow / Redfin / PCAOR-derived). Wire to a live PCAOR/Redfin feed in production.
Entry-level attached and older tract homes trade under $750,000 with the tightest supply (about 2.2 months and an 82% pending ratio), the broad move-up market sits between $750,000 and $1,000,000 with the fastest pace (roughly 44 days on market), and the luxury tier from $1.25 million up to Serrano's and Toll Brothers' custom estates near $2-3.5 million moves much slower, with homes above $1.75 million often sitting 9+ months of supply unless priced sharply.
What locals actually need to know
New construction
New construction remains active across multiple price points in 2026. Toll Brothers opened Summit Estates in March 2026, a gated 41-home enclave of one-acre-plus homesites with 4,000-5,000+ sq ft floor plans starting near $2 million. Lennar continues building at the Blackstone masterplan, including Ridgeview Estates (3,108-4,253 sq ft, from the $900,000s) and additional Blackstone-area product from the $890,000s, alongside other Lennar communities scattered through El Dorado Hills. Buyers should budget for active Mello-Roos assessments layered on top of builder base pricing in nearly all of these new communities.
HOA & Mello-Roos
HOA and Mello-Roos structures vary sharply by neighborhood and era. Serrano carries CFD 1992-1 (2024/25 levy averaged about $690.80/parcel/year, roughly $57.57/month) plus a separate El Dorado Schools Financing Authority CFD, both amortizing down over time — some Serrano villages are approaching payoff. Newer communities like Blackstone layer HOA dues of roughly $120-$140/month on top of active Mello-Roos bonds funding roads, parks and schools. Older 1980s-90s tracts (Governor's Village, Woodridge, Green Valley Acres) generally carry little to no HOA or Mello-Roos at all. Val pulls the actual CFD disclosure (8-clause/Notice of Special Tax) and remaining bond term for every listing before a client writes an offer.
Commute
Downtown Sacramento is about 25-30 miles west via US-50, a 30-45 minute drive outside peak hours (closer to 50-60 minutes during weekday rush). The Bay Area (Oakland/SF) is roughly 100-110 miles via US-50 to I-80, typically a 2-2.5 hour drive; many residents commute a few days a week or work hybrid, trading the commute for dramatically more house and land.
Schools
Oak Ridge High School — Ranked #1 among public high schools in El Dorado County by Niche and in the top 10% of California high schools statewide (top 20%, California rank ~220th, per Public School Review/US News), with a 95.8% four-year graduation rate Jackson Elementary School — Rated 9/10 on GreatSchools Rolling Hills Middle School — Rated 10/10 on GreatSchools
Neighborhoods in El Dorado Hills
Serrano
Serrano
El Dorado Hills' flagship gated master-planned community built out since 1995 around the private Serrano Country Club and golf course; homes range from tract product near $700K to custom estates up to $3.5M
Blackstone
Blackstone
Newest major master plan (2015+), 1,400+ homes anchored by a 10,500-sq-ft resident clubhouse with pools and a fitness center; still under active construction by Lennar
The Promontory
The Promontory
Gated community built by multiple tract builders with a wide mix of home sizes and styles, prized for sweeping Folsom Lake and hillside views
El Dorado Hills Town Center / West El Dorado Hills
El Dorado Hills Town Center / West El Dorado Hills
Older, more established neighborhoods (Governor's Village, Woodridge) closest to US-50 and the Town Center shopping/dining district, generally with lower or no HOA/Mello-Roos
Green Valley Acres / Salmon Falls corridor
Green Valley Acres / Salmon Falls corridor
Larger-lot, semi-rural parcels toward Folsom Lake favored by buyers wanting acreage, horse property, or more privacy without leaving EDH
The builder’s-eye difference in El Dorado Hills
El Dorado Hills' housing stock spans three distinct eras Val checks differently: 1980s-90s original tract homes (Governor's Village, Woodridge) that need roof and HVAC condition checks — many are past their 20-25 year equipment lifespan and often carry undocumented additions or converted garages he verifies against county permits; 1990s-2000s foothill-slope construction (Serrano, Silver Springs) where he inspects retaining walls, grading and drainage cuts into decomposed-granite hillsides for erosion and foundation settling; and 2015-2026 new-build communities (Blackstone, Heritage, Toll Brothers' Summit Estates) where his 30 years framing and remodeling let him spot production-builder shortcuts — thin stucco control joints, undersized attic ventilation for Sacramento-Valley summer heat, and whether the fire-hardening upgrades (Class-A roofing, ember-resistant vents) required in this high-fire-severity zone were actually done to code, not just marketed.
See how Val reads a home →Homes for sale in El Dorado Hills
- GatedMLS photo$1,650,0005 bd · 5 ba · 4,600 sqft4501 Greyson Creek Dr (Serrano)El Dorado Hills
Sample listings — live MetroList IDX connects here in production.
Coming from the Bay Area?
See your Bay Area equity in El Dorado Hills → For Bay Area sellers, El Dorado Hills is a natural landing spot: a family cashing out $1.5-2M+ of equity in the Peninsula, East Bay or South Bay can trade into a larger lot, a pool, or a Folsom Lake view here with cash to spare, while staying within a manageable drive back to the Bay for family visits or hybrid work weeks — and close enough to Sacramento (25-30 minutes) for a full-time in-office job. Val's own bilingual Ukrainian/Russian fluency and builder background make the transition smoother for relocating families who want a plain-English (or Russian/Ukrainian) explanation of Mello-Roos, HOA CC&Rs, and what "as-is" really means in a resale disclosure.
El Dorado Hills real estate FAQ
What is the median home price in El Dorado Hills right now?
As of mid-2026, the median sale price is running roughly $866,000-$909,000 depending on the data source (Redfin vs. Zillow), with the market showing a slight cooling from 2025 peaks in the upper price tiers while homes under $750,000 remain highly competitive.
Do El Dorado Hills homes have Mello-Roos taxes?
Many do, especially in newer master-planned communities. Serrano carries CFD 1992-1 (roughly $57/month average per parcel, winding down over time) plus a schools CFD; Blackstone and other new-construction neighborhoods also carry active Mello-Roos assessments on top of HOA dues (Blackstone's HOA runs about $120-$140/month). Val pulls the actual CFD disclosure and payoff schedule before you write an offer, not just the HOA doc.
How is El Dorado Hills different from Serrano or Blackstone specifically?
El Dorado Hills is the overall city; Serrano and Blackstone are its two flagship master-planned villages. Serrano (built out since the mid-1990s) centers on a private country club and golf course with home prices from the $700Ks into the $3M+ custom range. Blackstone is the newer (2015+) 1,400-home community anchored by a 10,500-square-foot resident clubhouse, with new construction still active today from Lennar.
Is El Dorado Hills a good fit for Bay Area sellers relocating inland?
It's one of the most popular landing spots for exactly that move. A Bay Area seller cashing out $1.5M-$2M+ of equity can land a comparable or larger home here, often with a pool, view lot, or acreage, still within reach of Sacramento for work and a manageable drive back to the Bay for family or hybrid office days.
Buying or selling in El Dorado Hills?
Get a builder’s honest number — not a guess. Val serves El Dorado Hills and all of El Dorado County.