Housing Trends | Tim Stuart Real Estate

The 2026 SoCal picture at a glance

Southern California in mid-2026 shows a mixed market. Coastal Orange County median prices remain elevated relative to national medians, driven by limited inventory in beachfront and blufftop sub-markets. Days on market have lengthened compared to the frenzied 2021 to 2022 pace, giving buyers more room to negotiate. Year-over-year price changes vary significantly by city and by data source, so triangulating multiple sources (Redfin, Zillow ZHVI, Movoto, CAR) matters more than trusting any single number.

Interest rate environment has stabilized from the 2023 spike but remains above pre-2022 levels, which continues to weigh on buyer purchasing power and slow move-up transactions where sellers would have to give up a lower-rate mortgage to buy up.

Coastal OC snapshot by city

Medians reported in June or July 2026. See individual area pages for full sourcing and lifestyle detail.

City	Median Sold	DOM	Source
Huntington Beach	~$1.4M	62 days	Redfin / Movoto
Newport Beach	$3.725M	83 days	Movoto June 2026
Costa Mesa	$1.395M	56 days	Movoto June 2026
Fountain Valley	$1.375M	51 days	Movoto June 2026
Seal Beach *	$350K citywide	93 days	Movoto June 2026
Laguna Beach	$3.785M	119 days	Movoto June 2026
Corona del Mar (92625)	$4.29M	99 days	Movoto June 2026
Dana Point	$2.05M	90 days	Movoto June 2026
San Juan Capistrano	$1.726M	74 days	Zillow May / Movoto
San Clemente	$1.95M	54 days	Movoto June 2026

* Seal Beach citywide median is heavily weighted by Leisure World (55+ co-op); not comparable to fee-simple SFH. See the Seal Beach area page for detail. All figures reflect a specific reporting month and update constantly. Contact Tim for the most current numbers.

What the trends mean for buyers

Longer days on market means more room to negotiate. Homes sitting 60 to 120 days give buyers leverage on price, credits, and terms that did not exist in 2021 to 2022.
Rate environment still matters. Locking a rate quote before you start touring is smart. Buyers stretched to the top of their pre-approval three years ago may want to re-price now.
Micro-markets diverge. A citywide median hides that street-by-street prices vary widely. Newport Coast is not Balboa Peninsula. Talega is not North Beach. Sub-market analysis matters.
Contingencies are back. In softer markets, standard inspection and loan contingencies are the norm again. Waiving them is a strategic choice, not a required one.

What the trends mean for sellers

Pricing at market is critical. Overpricing in a slower market extends days on market and often nets less than pricing at market from day one.
Presentation matters more. Photography, staging, and video are how buyers form the first impression on Zillow and Redfin. Skipping the investment costs on the sale side.
Buyer pool is smaller but more serious. Higher rates and lengthening timelines have filtered out the tire-kickers. Buyers who show up now are pre-approved and ready.
Inventory is limited in some pockets. Coastal, view, and single-story properties still see strong demand where supply is thin.

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Housing trends in coastal Orange County.

The 2026 SoCal picture at a glance

Coastal OC snapshot by city

What the trends mean for buyers

What the trends mean for sellers

Want a personalized market update?