When you live on one of the bird streets in Costa Mesa — Tanager, Oriole, Hummingbird, Kinglet, Bunting, the rest — the question that gets whispered at every block party isn't really "what did that house go for?" It's "what would mine go for?" And the answer, for the past six months, has been more layered than a single number.
Four homes have closed on these blocks since December. The lowest cleared at $666 per square foot. The highest cleared at $971 per square foot. That's a spread of more than $300 per square foot on what are, structurally, very similar two-story homes built on lots of about 6,500 square feet.
For a 2,500 square foot home — right in the middle of what most homeowners in the Upper Birds have — that spread can translate to nearly $750,000 in difference on paper. So the natural question is: what's actually driving it?
What sold and what they cleared
Here are the four verified MLS closes on the Upper Birds in the past six months, sorted by price per square foot from lowest to highest.
| Address | Bed/Bath | Sq Ft | $/Sq Ft | Close Price | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1789 Kinglet Ct | 5/3 | 3,303 | $666 | $2,200,000 | 12/4/25 |
| 1806 Hummingbird Dr | 4/3 | 2,724 | $786 | $2,140,000 | 4/21/26 |
| 2798 Redwing Cir | 5/3 | 2,301 | $895 | $2,060,000 | 12/2/25 |
| 2761 Bunting Cir | 5/3 | 2,678 | $971 | $2,600,000 | 3/6/26 |
The pattern is consistent. The lower-/sqftcloseswerehomesthattradedinoriginalconditionorquietlyoff−market.Thehigher−/sqft closes were homes that traded in original condition or quietly off-market. The higher- /sqft closes were homes described in their listings with phrases like "fully renovated," "reimagined," "remodel," or "turnkey." 2761 Bunting at $971 per square foot had been taken down to a reimagined kitchen, primary bath, and pool refresh.
That's the gap. Condition is doing the work.
What the gap actually means
The four-close sample is tight, but the spread is real. $666 per square foot on the low end. $971 on the high end. Roughly $305 per square foot of premium for being remodeled, on the same five streets, within the same six-month window.
Applied to a 2,500 square foot home, that's roughly $760,000 of difference for the same footprint.
The market is paying for visible condition right now. Original kitchens, dated bathrooms, popcorn ceilings, and the brown carpet some of you have lovingly maintained since the Reagan administration are getting priced into the offer. Buyers walk in, do the mental math on what it will take to bring it up to their standard, and they take that number off the top.
The current inventory tells the same story. Today's listings on the Upper Birds span from a remodeled flip at $907 per square foot (1789 Kinglet, relisted at $2,995,000 after closing in December at $2,200,000) all the way down through Coming Soon and Active homes at $804 to $986 per square foot. The most expensive per-foot active is a smaller single-story at $1,057 per square foot. The range is wide and condition is the lever.
Three takes for three kinds of homeowners
If you've already updated — kitchen, primary bath, windows, flooring done in the last five years or so — your home is sitting in the upper half of the recent data. The market is rewarding that work, often with a premium that exceeds what it cost to do. 2761 Bunting closing at $971 per square foot in March is what a remodeled bird-streets home is currently pulling.
If you're sitting on an original home and you love it — that's a completely valid place to be. 1789 Kinglet still cleared $2.2 million in original condition. You're not leaving the neighborhood empty-handed. But your number is closer to $666 per square foot than $971, and the buyer pool is largely investors and remodelers competing on price. Patience and a list price that reflects the reality of that buyer pool is your strongest position.
If you've been on the fence about updates — and you'd genuinely enjoy living through them, or you're planning to sell in the next two or three years anyway — there's a real math case for a selective remodel. Kitchens move the needle the most. Primary baths come second. Windows and flooring round it out. You don't have to take it to the studs the way the recent flips have. The bird streets are rewarding clean, current, and livable far more than they're rewarding luxury for its own sake.
A worked example on a 2,500 sqft home
Picture a typical home in the middle of the farm. Built in 1969, 2,500 square feet, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, original kitchen, popcorn ceilings, the brown carpet.
At today's $666/sqft for original condition, the market values it at roughly $1.67M.
Now picture that same home with a thoughtful kitchen and primary bath update — call it $150,000 to $200,000 in scope — landing closer to $850/sqft. That puts it at $2.13M. So roughly $460,000 of equity created on a $175,000 spend, before you subtract the time, mess, and disruption of doing the work.
Take that same home all the way to "fully reimagined with pool" — call it $400,000 to $500,000 in scope — and you're playing for $950 to $1,000 per square foot. That's $2.4M to $2.5M. Roughly $700K to $850K of equity created on a $450K spend.
The deeper renovation only works if you're willing to either live through it or sell it fresh after. It's not the right answer for everyone. But on these streets, in this market, the math is working.
A note on inventory
Right now, across the entire Upper Birds farm, there are four single-family homes actively for sale, one pending, and one coming soon. That's extraordinarily thin supply.
Two of the four closes in the past six months happened essentially off-market, which is real signal about how much private demand exists for these blocks. Many of the homes that did hit the market sold quickly.
Whether your home is original or remodeled, well-prepared homes are moving. The buyer pool is here.
My take
If I'm sitting across the kitchen table from a homeowner on Tanager or Oriole or Hummingbird right now, the conversation I want to have isn't about list price. It's about which lever to pull.
There are really only four moves available to a homeowner thinking about a sale on the Upper Birds: sell as-is at original-condition pricing, do nothing and hold, do a selective remodel and sell into the middle of the market, or do the full reimagining and play for the top of it. Each one has a different cost, a different timeline, and a different number at the end of it.
The earlier we have that conversation, the more options you keep open. The owners who feel least pressured are the ones who understand their full picture — value range, prep options, timing window, and tax position if Prop 19 or a basis question is in play — before they make any decisions.
If you want a real look at your number
If you're considering a move in the next twelve months, even just exploring it, I'd be glad to help you look at it. I'll send three honest comps and a thoughtful range for your home, no obligation, no pressure, within 24 hours of you reaching out. Text or email is the fastest way.
Jade Larney Realtor · Anvil Real Estate · DRE #02241676 (949) 995-5233 [email protected] jadelarney.com
This is general real estate education, not legal or tax advice. Comp data sourced from CRMLS with verified close-of-escrow records, 12/2/25 through 5/26/26. Active and pending data current as of 5/26/26. Conditions reflected per listing descriptions and public records. Before making a decision involving Prop 19, capital gains, trust, or estate questions, please confirm your specific situation with a CPA, attorney, or qualified advisor.
