$700,000. That’s not the starting price for a luxury home in Sonoma County, that’s the average! Last month, the median home price for a single family residence hit a record high of $705,000 according to The Press Democrat’s monthly housing report compiled by Pacific Union International senior vice president Rick Laws. You can buy two median value homes in Eureka  for that price, four homes in Philadelphia and nine homes in Buffalo, N.Y., according to the Zillow home value index.

This inflated market price is due in a large part to the increased sales of million-dollar homes. Last October’s wildfires took with it nearly 5,300 homes, including 1,519 in  Santa Rosa’s Fountaingrove neighborhood. Although, the market has been flooded in recent months with million-dollar “luxury” estates, prices appear to be leveling out.

This week we scoured the listings for “affordable” homes under $500,000 and were surprised to find a number of  spacious move-in-ready estates.

From cozy Victorian cottages to four-bedroom family homes, these properties boast recent upgrades including stainless-steel appliances, hardwood floors and granite countertops.

Click through our gallery above to see what you can buy for $500,000 or less in Sonoma County this month.