Real numbers, not a sales pitch. Here's where the Orange County market actually stands right now, pulled from public data sources and updated periodically.
The countywide headline
Two reputable sources give two different countywide medians, and the gap is worth understanding rather than picking whichever number sounds better. Redfin, which tracks all home types including condos, puts the Orange County median around $1.2M to $1.3M as of recent 2026 readings. The California Association of Realtors, which measures only existing single-family homes, reported a median of $1,490,000 for June 2026, up from $1,470,000 a year earlier.
What's actually happening
The market is best described as normalizing, not booming, not crashing. Inventory stays tight in much of the county, Irvine sat at roughly 1.4 months of supply and Anaheim around 1 month as of June 2026, both well under the 5-6 months that typically signals a balanced market. That tightness keeps a floor under prices even as appreciation has slowed to the low single digits countywide.
The clearest pattern by city: more affordable, inland cities like Santa Ana and Anaheim are posting some of the strongest year-over-year gains, while higher-end coastal markets like Newport Beach and San Clemente have actually softened, down mid-to-high single digits year-over-year in recent readings. Mortgage rates have eased somewhat but remain elevated, Freddie Mac's 30-year fixed rate averaged 6.22% in March 2026, down from 6.67% a year earlier.
City-by-city snapshot
| City | Median Price | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Irvine | ~$1.58M–$1.59M | +8.2% (Houzeo) |
| Newport Beach | ~$3.4M | −9.0% |
| Huntington Beach | ~$1.4M | +1.2% |
| Costa Mesa | ~$1.4M | −8.1% |
| Santa Ana | ~$879K | +6.6% |
| Anaheim | ~$954K–$962K | ~+3.2% |
| Tustin | ~$1.27M | +7.3% |
| Mission Viejo | ~$1.2M | +1.6% |
| Laguna Beach | ~$3.1M | +5.0% |
| San Clemente | ~$1.7M | −7.4% |
Source: Redfin (all home types), various 2026 readings between March and July. Some figures cross-checked against Houzeo and Zillow, which can differ due to methodology. See individual city guides for more context on each market.
What this means if you're buying
Tight inventory means moving decisively when the right home comes up, especially in the more affordable, high-demand cities. It also means the "wait for prices to drop" strategy hasn't paid off broadly, aside from a handful of softening coastal luxury markets.
What this means if you're selling
Pricing accurately from the start still matters more than almost anything else. In a normalizing market, overpriced listings sit, and sitting listings tend to sell for less than if they'd been priced right from day one. Coastal luxury sellers specifically should expect more negotiation than they may have a year or two ago.