San Diego County Housing Market Report

Market at a Glance

San Diego County finished July with prices up, sales up, and inventory down — a combination that keeps the leverage with sellers. But the market is splitting cleanly in two. Detached single-family homes are scarce and appreciating, while condos and townhomes have reached the edge of a balanced market, giving buyers their best negotiating position in years. Which half you are standing in matters more right now than the countywide headline.

All-property figures (detached + attached). A balanced market is generally considered 4–6 months of supply, so at 3.1 months San Diego County still favors sellers overall. Year-to-date, the countywide median is $920,000 (+1.7%) on 13,642 closed sales (+3.9%). County-level medians average across every neighborhood and price tier — your own submarket can look quite different.

By Property Type

The two halves of the county are moving in opposite directions. Detached inventory fell by nearly a quarter while attached inventory edged up; detached prices rose while the attached year-to-date median slipped. Read the segment that matches your property.

Trends & Charts

Median Sale Price — Last 12 Months

Detached vs. attached, August 2025 through July 2026

Closed Sales — Last 12 Months

Monthly closings by property type

Inventory of Homes for Sale

Active listings at month end — detached supply is fading while attached holds

Days on Market Until Sale

Attached homes consistently take longer to sell

What’s Actually Happening

Sellers are not listing, and that is the whole story on the detached side. July new listings fell 17.6% (1,804 vs. 2,189) and year-to-date they are down 11.2%. Detached inventory dropped 24.7% to 3,097 homes — roughly a thousand fewer than a year ago. With most owners holding low pandemic-era rates, the supply simply is not coming to market, and that scarcity is doing more to hold prices up than demand is.

Demand absorbed what little arrived. Countywide closings rose 6.0% and dollar volume climbed 12.3% to $2.62 billion. Detached homes sold in 33 days, three days faster than last July, and sellers collected 98.6% of their original asking price — up 1.2 points.

The attached market is the exception, and it is the opportunity. Condo and townhome inventory actually rose 1.1% year over year, supply sits at 4.1 months — inside the balanced range — and the year-to-date median slipped 0.7% to $665,000. Yet buyers are clearly moving: July attached closings jumped 12.8% and year-to-date closings are up 5.6%. Buyers are finding value there precisely because the pressure is lower.

Affordability is still the binding constraint. The detached affordability index fell to 37, its weakest July in this cycle. Prices rising 4.6% while rates sit near 6.7% means the qualifying bar keeps climbing, which is why the sales growth is concentrated in the attached segment rather than the detached one.

National context: nationally, existing-home sales ran at a 4.09 million annualized pace in July and the median existing-home price set a record at $440,600 (+1.8%), with roughly a 4.6-month national supply. San Diego is tighter on inventory than the country as a whole and roughly twice the national price — but our year-over-year price growth is running at a comparable, moderate pace.

Mortgage Rate Snapshot

Rates ticked up slightly through July and into August. As of August 6, 2026, the 30-year fixed averaged 6.69% — up from 6.66% the week prior and marginally above the 6.63% of a year ago. Financing is no longer the tailwind it was last summer, but it remains range-bound rather than spiking.

Payment illustrations (principal and interest only, 20% down, 30-year fixed at 6.69%; excludes taxes, insurance, HOA, and Mello-Roos): countywide median $940,000 → approximately $4,850/month. Detached median $1,150,000 → approximately $5,930/month. Attached median $659,000 → approximately $3,400/month. Ask about rate buy-downs and lender credits, which can meaningfully reduce the effective rate.

Good News on Both Sides of the Table

Where the Leverage Sits: Months of Supply by Segment

Below 4 months favors sellers; 4–6 months is balanced. The countywide attached segment sits right at the line, while premium pockets like Bonita remain among the tightest in the region.