Orange County Housing Market Update — April 2026: One Market, A Spectrum of Speeds

By Mike Rains | First Team Real Estate Seacliff | Huntington Beach, CA

If you’ve been watching the Orange County real estate market lately, you’ve probably noticed something: not all homes are selling at the same pace. A well-priced detached home in the $750K–$1.5M range can draw multiple offers within days, while a luxury estate above $4 million may sit on the market for months. That’s the story of our market right now — one county, a wide spectrum of speeds.

Here’s what the latest data is telling us.

The Big Picture

The overall Expected Market Time (EMT) — the number of days it would take to sell every active listing at the current buying pace — is 80 days across all of Orange County. That’s up from 70 days just four weeks ago, as inventory climbs and buyer demand levels off heading into spring. The good news: it’s virtually identical to last year’s 81 days, so we’re not in a dramatically different market — just one that varies significantly depending on what you’re selling and where.

Where the Market is Hottest

The sweet spot right now is detached homes priced between $750,000 and $1.5 million. These are moving the fastest in the county, with Expected Market Times of just 41 to 44 days. Homes in this range that are well-priced and well-presented are still attracting multiple offers and selling at or above list price.

The countywide sales-to-list price ratio in March was 100.0% — meaning sellers are getting exactly what they’re asking, on average. That’s a healthy market.

What’s Slowing Down

The attached home market — condos and townhomes — is taking considerably longer to sell, averaging 93 days countywide, up from 77 days a year ago. Rising HOA costs, insurance premiums, and reserve fund issues have made condos less attractive to buyers, especially first-timers already stretched by higher mortgage rates. If you own a condo and are thinking of selling, pricing strategy and preparation matter more than ever.

Luxury homes above $2.5 million are the slowest segment of the market. The Expected Market Time for homes priced $2.5M–$4M is now 131 days. Above $6 million, it stretches to an extraordinary 303 days — nearly a year. If you’re in this segment, patience and precision pricing are essential.

Huntington Beach Specifically

For our local market, Huntington Beach currently shows:

• 258 active listings
• 114 pending sales (last 30 days)
• Expected Market Time: 68 days
• Median sold price in March: $1,349,000
• Sales-to-list ratio: 100.0%
• 131 homes sold in March 2026

Huntington Beach is performing right in line with the broader county — a balanced, active market with strong pricing power for sellers who are priced correctly.

Inventory & Demand: What to Watch

Active listings countywide rose by 227 homes (up 6%) over the past two weeks to 4,206 total. This is typical for spring — more sellers enter the market than new buyers emerge. Expect inventory to keep climbing until it peaks sometime between July and August.

Buyer demand (measured by new pending sales) slipped slightly by 15, down 1%, to 1,584. Demand is expected to stay relatively flat but elevated through September. One wildcard to watch: mortgage rates. If geopolitical conditions stabilize and rates move back toward 6%, we could see a meaningful boost in buyer activity.

What This Means If You’re Thinking of Selling

The most important takeaway from this report is that price is everything. A home in turnkey condition but overpriced will sit — regardless of the neighborhood or price range. The best strategy is always to price at Fair Market Value based on comparable recent sales, condition, location, and upgrades.

If your home falls in the $750K–$1.5M detached range, you’re in the driver’s seat right now. If you’re selling an attached home or a luxury property, the conversation about strategy and timing is more nuanced — and that’s exactly where having an experienced local advisor makes the difference.

Let’s Talk About Your Home

Whether you’re thinking about selling this spring, curious about what your home is worth in today’s market, or simply want to understand what’s happening in your specific neighborhood, I’m happy to walk you through it.

Mike Rains | First Team Real Estate — Seacliff 📞 (714) 293-4786 🌐 www.MikeRains.com

Data sourced from the Orange County Housing Report by Steven Thomas, Reports on Housing, April 27, 2026.

Mike Rains is a Huntington Beach real estate specialist with 23+ years of experience and 318+ families served across Orange County. He holds GRI, SRES, and ACP designations and works primarily by referral from First Team Real Estate’s Seacliff office.