5,899 homes are on the market — more than last year, and still 19% below a normal October. That combination is why buyers have selection and sellers still have their price.
Overview
There are 5,899 homes for sale across San Diego County — essentially unchanged over the past two weeks, and about 1% more than a year ago.
Two things are true about that number at once, and together they explain this entire market:
- Buyers have more to choose from than at any point in the last few years. More listings than last October, 123 days of expected market time, and real room to negotiate on terms.
- Supply is still 19% below a normal October. There is no glut. Which is precisely why prices have held at 100.0% of asking while volume slowed.
Selection without oversupply is an unusual combination, and it's a genuinely good one for both sides of a transaction.
Here's what's actually on the market, how it compares historically, and what it means depending on which side you're on.
The current numbers
- Active listings: 5,899
- Change over two weeks: +3 homes — flat
- One year ago: 5,835 — about 1% fewer than today
- Pre-COVID average (2017–2019): 7,034 — 1,135 more than today
- New listings January–September: 30,439 — 29% below the pre-COVID norm
- Distressed listings: 102 (1.7% of the market)
- Median active list price: $875,000
For the demand side of this equation, see our San Diego housing market update and what's driving buyer demand.
The autumn decline has stalled — for now
Inventory is flat. It gained 3 homes over the past two weeks and is down just 50 since the end of August.
That's a change from the usual autumn pattern, and the reason is the demand side. Pending sales fell to 1,443, down 150 (9%) over two weeks — the largest drop of the year — while mortgage rates reached 7.5% at the end of September. Homes aren't leaving the market because supply dried up; they're staying because fewer buyers are clearing them.
Because demand fell while supply held, countywide expected market time rose from 111 days to 123 — the slowest reading since January 2019.
What happens next is reasonably predictable. Inventory should hold roughly at this level until the week before Thanksgiving, then fall through year-end as unsuccessful sellers delist for the holidays. For anyone staying listed, that's a thinning field at exactly the moment the remaining buyers are most serious.
Related: Why homes sit on the market in San Diego
Why inventory is still historically low
Even at its 2026 peak, San Diego never got close to a normal supply. There are 1,135 fewer homes for sale today than in a typical pre-COVID October — a gap worth about 19% of a normal October's inventory.
The reason is the lock-in effect. A very large share of San Diego homeowners refinanced or purchased between 2020 and mid-2022, when 30-year rates sat between 2.7% and 3.5%. Selling today and buying again at 7.5% means a dramatically higher payment on an equivalent home. For many households the math simply doesn't work, so they stay put — and their home never becomes inventory.
You can see it in listing volume. Through September, 30,439 homes came to market in San Diego County — a shortfall of 12,360 listings against the pre-COVID average, or 29%.
But the thaw is real, and it's the under-reported good news here. Against recent years:
- 7,815 more new listings than 2023
- 2,475 more than 2024
- 1,365 behind 2025
The listing drought that defined 2023 has substantially eased. Sellers have been returning for two years running. Rates crossing back above 7% is the wrong development for that trend — but the trend itself is intact.
Related: Mortgage rates and the San Diego housing market
What's actually available, by price
Inventory isn't evenly distributed, and this is where the countywide number stops being useful.
| Price range | Listings | Share of inventory | Share of demand | Market time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0–$500k | 959 | 16.3% | 10.8% | 184 days |
| $500k–$750k | 1,358 | 23.0% | 24.2% | 117 days |
| $750k–$1M | 1,300 | 22.0% | 25.2% | 107 days |
| $1M–$1.25M | 601 | 10.2% | 13.0% | 96 days |
| $1.25M–$1.5M | 388 | 6.6% | 8.5% | 95 days |
| $1.5M–$2M | 455 | 7.7% | 8.8% | 107 days |
| $2M–$4M | 519 | 8.8% | 7.8% | 138 days |
| $4M–$6M | 147 | 2.5% | 1.2% | 259 days |
| $6M+ | 172 | 2.9% | 0.6% | 573 days |
- About 61% of everything available is under $1 million, so if that's your range you have real selection.
- Five consecutive bands from $500,000 to $2 million draw more demand than their share of supply — that's where competition still lives, and it's the healthy middle of this market.
- The $0–$500k band is the mismatch at the bottom: 16.3% of listings, 10.8% of buyers, 184 days.
- Above $6 million, 2.9% of inventory chases 0.6% of buyers — the widest gap in the county.
Related: market time by price range · condos vs. detached homes
Luxury inventory
Homes above $2 million — the top 10% of the market by price — account for 838 active listings, down 16 (2%) over two weeks.
Year over year the luxury picture is tighter, not looser: active luxury inventory is down 112 homes, a 12% decline. Fewer high-end sellers are listing than last October, which is a real advantage for anyone selling in that range now.
Luxury demand fell further, down 19 pending sales to 139, which pushed luxury expected market time from 162 days to 181. At that pace, a luxury seller listing today is looking at escrow around April 2027.
Related: San Diego luxury home market
Where the inventory is
Supply concentrates heavily. Here are the county's largest markets by active listings:
- City of San Diego — 2,216 (well over a third of the county total)
- Downtown — 338 · Oceanside — 326 · Escondido — 314 · Chula Vista — 284
- El Cajon — 232 · Carlsbad — 225 · La Jolla — 185 · San Marcos — 183 · Fallbrook — 179
- Rancho Bernardo — 151 · Vista — 150 · Ramona — 133 · La Mesa — 125 · Mission Valley — 116
- Encinitas — 115 · Pacific/Mission Beach — 112 · Coronado — 106 · Mission Hills/Hillcrest — 102
At the other end, small coastal and rural markets carry very thin inventory — Cardiff by the Sea has 7 listings, Pine Valley 11, Campo 14, Pauma Valley 15, San Ysidro 15, Lemon Grove 19. In markets that thin, local statistics swing dramatically from one report to the next, so treat any dramatic headline about a small community with caution.
For what homes are actually closing at in each of these, see San Diego home prices by city.
The inventory that disappeared
There's a category of supply that doesn't show up in the active count, and in the fall it grows quickly.
Sellers who list, wait, get no acceptable offer and withdraw create a pool of shadow inventory — supply that exists but isn't counted, waiting to reappear.
Some relist in the fall, some next spring, some never. Cyclically, withdrawals stay elevated through the back half of the year, dip slightly in November, then surge in December as sellers pull listings for the holidays.
This matters most for anyone planning a spring listing. Every home that withdraws this winter comes back in March alongside the normal spring wave — which is why spring is the stronger season on buyer demand but not automatically on seller leverage.
Related: Should you pull your home off the market? · The best time of year to sell
Distressed inventory is still tiny — but worth watching
For anyone watching inventory levels and thinking about 2008: there are 102 distressed homes on the market countywide — 35 foreclosures and 67 short sales. That's 1.7% of all listings and 3.0% of demand.
The count is up from 46 a year ago. That year-over-year direction is worth naming plainly rather than skipping: distressed listings have more than doubled.
But at 102 homes out of 5,899, this is a rounding error, not a wave. Foreclosures accounted for 0.2% of August's closed sales and short sales 0.4%, meaning 99.4% of San Diego sales were made by sellers with equity.
Inventory in 2026 is a demand story. It is not a distress story.
Related: Is the San Diego housing market going to crash?
What this means for you
If you're buying, this is the best selection you've had in years — 5,899 homes, more than last October, with 123 days of market time and contingencies back on the table. The listings that have been sitting longest are where your leverage lives.
But note that inventory is still 19% below normal, and the supply build never translated into falling prices — homes closed at 100.0% of list in August. Expect selection and negotiation on terms, not discounts on price. And selection narrows from Thanksgiving.
See also: How much negotiating room do San Diego buyers have? · Where to buy affordably in San Diego
If you're selling, much of your competition has already been sitting for a month or more, and some of it is about to delist. That's an opportunity — a fresh, well-priced, move-in-ready listing stands out sharply against a field of stale ones, and the field thins from late November.
The proof that it works: every price band from $500,000 to $1.5 million closed at exactly 100.0% of list in August, in 15 to 21 days.
See also: How to price a home in San Diego
If you're waiting for inventory to normalize, understand what that would require: roughly 1,135 more homes on the market. With the lock-in effect tightening again at 7.5%, that most plausibly arrives through lower mortgage rates freeing up sellers, not through a sudden surge in listings. And lower rates would bring buyers back faster than sellers — so waiting for more choice may well mean arriving alongside more competition.
See also: Renting vs. buying in San Diego
Frequently Asked Questions
How many homes are for sale in San Diego right now? 5,899 active listings countywide as of October 13, 2026 — essentially flat over two weeks, and about 1% more than a year ago.
Is San Diego housing inventory increasing or decreasing? Flat. The usual autumn decline stalled because demand fell faster than supply. Inventory should hold roughly here until the week before Thanksgiving, then drop through year-end as sellers delist for the holidays.
Why is there so little inventory in San Diego? The lock-in effect. A large share of owners hold mortgages from 2020–2022 at 2.7%–3.5%. Moving today means re-borrowing at 7.5%, so they stay put and their home never lists. Through September, 30,439 homes came to market — 12,360 fewer than the pre-COVID norm, a 29% shortfall.
How does San Diego inventory compare to normal? There are 1,135 fewer homes available than the 2017–2019 October average of 7,034 — roughly 19% below normal. Against last year it's actually slightly higher: 5,835 then versus 5,899 now.
What price range has the most homes for sale in San Diego? $500,000 to $750,000, with 1,358 active listings — 23% of all county inventory. About 61% of everything available is under $1 million.
What is the median list price in San Diego? $875,000 for active listings. The median sale price in August was $950,000, and the difference reflects that higher-priced homes have been clearing faster than the listing pool would suggest.
Are foreclosures rising in San Diego? The count has risen — 102 distressed listings today against 46 a year ago, so more than double. But that's 1.7% of the market, and 99.4% of August's sales were made by sellers with equity. The direction is real; the scale is not.
What is shadow inventory? Homes that were listed, didn't sell and were withdrawn. They don't appear in the active count but haven't gone anywhere — most relist in the spring. Withdrawals climb through the fall and surge in December.
When will San Diego inventory return to normal? Getting back to the pre-COVID average would take roughly 1,135 additional listings. With rates above 7%, that most plausibly arrives through lower mortgage rates unlocking existing owners rather than a surge of new sellers.
Which San Diego areas have the most homes for sale? The City of San Diego accounts for 2,216 listings, over a third of the county. Downtown has 338, Oceanside 326, Escondido 314, Chula Vista 284, El Cajon 232, Carlsbad 225 and La Jolla 185.
Market data via Reports on Housing, as of October 13, 2026, covering San Diego County residential resales; price-range and city tables within that report carry a data date of October 8, 2026, and closed-sale figures reflect August 2026. Active listing inventory reflects homes available on the open market and excludes pending sales. Analysis by William Routt, Routt Home Team (DRE 01937558).
Want to know what's available in your specific neighborhood and price range? Reach out — we'll put together a current list and walk you through it.
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