Where the Southern California market actually is.
The same data I use to advise clients on pricing, timing, and strategy, refreshed May 26, 2026.
The Snapshot
Four numbers that frame the rest of the page.
The mortgage rate, the statewide median, the direction of sales, and how tight Orange County still is. Read these first. The county breakdowns below tell you what they mean for your specific zip.
30-year mortgage rate
Freddie Mac PMMS, May 21
California median
Record high, April 2026
Statewide sales YoY
275,580 annualized pace
OC months of supply
Below the 3.2 statewide
How to Read This
Numbers without context are noise.
Every county block below shows four numbers: where the median sale price is now, how the past twelve months have moved, how long the average home is sitting before going under contract, and a fourth signal that matters for that specific county. Read those four together and you'll know whether your county is leaning toward sellers, leaning toward buyers, or roughly balanced.
If you want to know what these numbers mean for your specific home, that's the conversation worth having on a call.
Jump to your county
County 01
Los Angeles County
As of April 2026 close
Median sale price
Up 2.1% YoY, April 2026 (CAR).
Sales YoY
April 2026 sales pace vs April 2025 (CAR).
Median days on market
Up from 42 days last year (Redfin, March).
SoCal regional median
Down from 23 in March (CAR, April 2026).
What this means for sellers
Los Angeles County keeps surprising people who only follow the headlines. Prices are still climbing year-over-year, sales are up sharply, and the regional median time on market actually dropped from March to April. The county is not soft. What's true is that homes are taking a few days longer than they did a year ago, and the buyers who are active are picky. Pricing on day one is the difference between selling in 30 days and selling in 90.
County 02
Orange County
As of April 2026 close
Median sale price
Up 3.7% YoY, April 2026 (CAR).
Months of supply
Below CA 3.2 and national 3.5 (CAR).
Median days on market
Irvine specifically, May 2026 (Redfin).
Close vs. list price
Homes under $2.5M, May 2026 weekly read.
What this means for sellers
Orange County remains the tightest of the four counties on this page. Months of supply is still under three, which by historical standards is a seller's market. The asterisk: the gap between asking and closing widened a touch in May, with homes under $2.5M closing about 1% below list. That's a normal, healthy spread. It is also a clear signal that overpricing is now punished faster than at any point since 2023. A real comp study still wins the listing here. A wishful price still loses it.
County 03
Riverside County
As of March 2026 close
Median sale price
Down 2.1% YoY, March 2026 (Redfin).
Active inventory YoY
6,991 active listings (Feb 2026).
Median days on market
Up from 53 days last year (Redfin).
Market signal
More inventory, softer prices, slower DOM.
What this means for sellers
Riverside has cooled the most of the four counties. Prices are down year-over-year, inventory is up, and homes are taking about two more days to find a buyer. None of that is a crash. It is a market that has rebalanced toward the buyer enough that sellers who price aggressively, prep the home properly, and act decisively still close on a reasonable timeline. The sellers who treat it like 2022 sit at 120 days.
County 04
San Bernardino County
As of March 2026 close
Median sale price
Down 2.7% YoY, March 2026 (Redfin).
Active inventory YoY
7,378 active listings (Redfin).
Median days on market
Up 1 day YoY (Redfin).
Sold above list
Down 8.1 pp YoY (Redfin).
What this means for sellers
San Bernardino County is the most rate-sensitive of the four. With the median home around $535K, more buyers here are financing the full purchase, so every 25 basis points on the mortgage rate moves the offer math. Year-over-year, the share of homes selling above list dropped from a third to a quarter, which is the cleanest signal on this page that the bidding-war era is functionally over in the Inland Empire. The good news for sellers: inventory is only modestly higher than a year ago, so the right home priced right still moves.
Local zoom
Irvine, specifically.
Redfin, May 2026
Median sale price
Down 5.9% YoY (Redfin, May 2026).
Median price per sq ft
Down 9.06% YoY (Redfin).
Median days on market
Two offers on average.
Market competitiveness
"Somewhat competitive" rating (Redfin).
What this means in Irvine
Irvine is the only number on this page that has dropped meaningfully YoY. The median is down 5.9% and price per square foot is down 9%, both of which reflect a shift from 2024's bidding-war pricing to a more normal market. Two offers per listing is still healthy. Forty-two days is a normal sale timeline.
The Irvine market rewards three things now: clean preparation, defensible pricing on day one, and an agent who actually shows up to compete. The last twenty years of automatic appreciation isn't doing the work anymore. Strategy is.
The Source
Where this data actually comes from.
Medians and statewide sales come from the California Association of Realtors monthly release (April 2026 close, published May 19, 2026). Days on market and active inventory come from Redfin Data Center (March-April 2026 close, the latest monthly read at the time of writing). The mortgage rate is Freddie Mac's PMMS, dated May 21, 2026. Irvine-specific numbers come from Redfin, May 2026.
I refresh this page on a regular cadence. The page header carries the date of the current read so you always know how fresh the snapshot is.
Run the numbers on your specific home.
County averages are the starting point. The price your home will actually clear depends on the block, the condition, the comps, and the agent. Pick a side and I'll run the read.
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Your block, not the county average.
A real comp study uses the eight to twelve homes most like yours, not the county-wide median.
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A defensible price, not a wishful one.
I price to the comps and tell you what to fix, what to skip, and what to leverage.
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A 48-hour launch with the marketing already done.
Pro photos, copy, syndication, and a property landing page all live within two days of signing.
Enter your address to start the home value report.
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A buying read tuned to your county.
Orange County looks nothing like San Bernardino. Your offer math should reflect that.
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Offers structured to actually win.
Tight contingencies, clean appraisal language, and seller credits used where they move price.
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Lender, inspector, and escrow already in place.
A vetted bench of local partners means escrow runs on schedule and inspection reports come back in plain English.
Tell me where you want to buy.
Want the deeper read?
The notes behind the numbers.
Stats give you the snapshot. Field Notes give you the commentary. Short observational posts on what's actually happening in Southern California real estate, written when there's something worth saying.
Read Field Notes →Your home, your number
The data is one thing. Your home is another.
County-level data is useful, but it doesn't tell you what your specific home, in your specific neighborhood, will actually sell for. That's what a real comparative market analysis is for. Free, delivered within 24 hours.
Or call direct: (949) 438-5948