OC market update
Orange County Housing Market, November 2026: More Listings, Lower Asking Prices, Firm Sale Prices
The Orange County numbers this fall point two ways. More homes are for sale than a year ago, and the typical asking price has come down. Homes that actually close, though, are still selling for more than they did in 2025. Here is what the latest data shows and what it means if you are buying or selling.
Sale prices: still up from last year
The median price of an existing single-family home sold in Orange County was $1,480,000 in September 2026. That is up 1.9% from August ($1,452,500) and up 5.6% from September 2025 ($1,401,250).[1] For comparison, the Southern California median was $895,000 (up 3.0% year over year) and the statewide median was $899,720 (up 1.7%).[1]
Closed sales in the county were down 2.0% from a year earlier and down 0.7% from August.[1] So fewer homes changed hands, but the ones that did sold at higher prices.
Listings: more choice, lower asking prices
| Orange County (Realtor.com) | Oct 2025 | Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Active listings | 4,252 | 4,692 (about +10%) |
| Median listing price | $1,362,500 | $1,260,000 (about −7.5%) |
| Median days on market (active listings) | 59 | 56 |
Listings peaked for the year at 4,874 in August.[2] The median asking price peaked at $1,399,000 in March and has eased since.[3] Days on market was as low as 42 in February.[4] (Percent changes are my calculations from the published figures.)
A lower median asking price alongside a higher median sale price is not a contradiction. The two measure different groups of homes: everything listed versus what actually closed. Part of the gap likely reflects which homes are selling. Well-priced homes still sell quickly, and listings that sit tend to drag the asking-price median down.
How fast homes are selling
C.A.R. puts Orange County's months of supply at 3.0 months in September (3.1 in August, 3.0 a year earlier), and median time to sell at 30 days, up from 27 in August but faster than 33 a year earlier.[1] Three months of supply is still tight by historical standards. Statewide, sellers received 98.8% of list price on average in September.[1]
What it means for you
If you're selling
- You're competing with about 10% more listings than last fall, so price it right on day one. Homes priced to recent closed sales are selling within about a month. Homes priced to old asking prices tend to sit.
- Run your estimated net proceeds before you set a price, so you know your real walk-away number.
If you're buying
- You have more homes to choose from and more room to negotiate on homes that have been on the market for a while. Well-priced homes in high demand still move quickly.
- Start with what you can actually afford at today's rates (see rates and affordability).
C.A.R.'s October report is due later in November. I'll update this page when it comes out.
Figures are from the publishers cited below, for the periods stated, and were current as of November 12, 2026. Publishers revise data, and different sources measure prices differently, so numbers from separate sources should not be compared directly. Nothing here predicts future prices. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Sources
- California Association of Realtors, “September 2026 home sales and price report” (Sept. 2026 data, released Oct. 2026). https://www.car.org/aboutus/mediacenter/newsreleases/2026releases/sept2026sales
- Realtor.com via FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), Active Listing Count, Orange County, CA. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/ACTLISCOU6059
- Realtor.com via FRED, Median Listing Price, Orange County, CA. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/MEDLISPRI6059
- Realtor.com via FRED, Median Days on Market, Orange County, CA. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/MEDDAYONMAR6059