The Huntington Beach Market,
Beyond the Headlines
MLS-backed market insight for buyers, sellers, and homeowners navigating Huntington Beach, updated monthly and paired with a seasonal calendar built from three years of Zillow Research data. Read locally.
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Who this market update is for
- Huntington Beach homeowners deciding when to list, from the inland tracts to Huntington Harbour
- Buyers comparing Huntington Beach with Newport Beach and wanting the timing question answered with data
- Newport Beach and Corona del Mar owners considering a Huntington Beach right-size under Proposition 19
- Relocating buyers who know the beach and want to understand the market
- Owners of Huntington Beach rentals weighing whether to hold, sell, or exchange
- A national forecast with a Surf City headline
- Crash or boom commentary
- An automated estimate for your home
- A replacement for a street-level comparable analysis
One email a month on what actually closed in Huntington Beach, what sat, and what it means for the decision in front of you. No listing dumps, no pressure.
Huntington Beach sold more homes in September, but not as fast
Huntington Beach closed 141 homes in September, about 19 percent more than August, at nearly the same $1.41M median. The typical sale took 28 days to go under contract against 15 a month earlier. With 2.0 months of supply, this is the tightest of the markets I track, but the speed that usually comes with that has faded.
Comparing markets? All five current updates live on the market update hub →
The numbers, for those who want depth
| Metric | All Huntington Beach | Detached | Attached |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes for sale (as of October 1) | 280 | 139 | 141 |
| Coming soon | 15 | 9 | 6 |
| Under contract (offer accepted, not yet closed) | 117 | 61 | 56 |
| Newly listed in September, still active | 82 | 40 | 42 |
| Closed sales (September) | 141 | 90 | 51 |
| Median sold price | $1,410,000 | $1,687,500 | $895,000 |
| Median price per sq ft (sold) | $776 | $822 | $693 |
| Median home size sold (sq ft) | 1,834 | 2,268 | 1,217 |
| Median days to sell (closed) | 28 | 20.5 | 47 |
| Median asking price (actives) | $1,457,500 | $2,098,000 | $880,000 |
| Median price per sq ft (asking) | $819 | $904 | $734 |
| Median days on market (current listings) | 54.5 | 55 | 54 |
| Months of supply | 2.0 | 1.5 | 2.8 |
| Top September sale | $4,875,750 | $4,875,750 | $3,950,000 |
Source: CRMLS, pulled October 1, 2026 for closings dated September 1–30, 2026. Coverage: the CRMLS city area of Huntington Beach, all residential property types. Medians shown. Months of supply is homes for sale divided by September closings. Detached means a standalone house; attached covers townhomes, condominiums and attached single-family homes. This is the first monthly edition for this market, so inventory and escrow comparisons begin next month.
Contracts are the early read on October. With 117 homes under contract against 141 September closings, the pipeline is about a sixth smaller than September’s closings, so I would not expect October to match September’s volume. Rates are the new variable: the 30-year fixed averaged 7.28% in Freddie Mac’s survey for the week of October 1, up from 6.66% in late August. September’s closings were mostly contracts signed before that move, so October and November are where any effect will show. For the year-over-year picture, Zillow Research’s home value index (typical values, not sale prices) put Huntington Beach up 5.4% over twelve months as of August 2026, ahead of Orange County’s 2.8%.
Huntington Beach is the second-busiest city in Orange County by closed sales, and three years of Zillow Research data averaged by calendar month show a market with the flattest seasonal curve of any city on this site. The spring peak is real, the winter dip is real, but neither is dramatic, and the average home closes within about one percent of its asking price all year.
The share of Huntington Beach homes closing above asking climbs steadily from winter to a June peak, then eases through the fall.
Share of Huntington Beach homes that closed above their list price, three-year average by month of closing. Source: Zillow Research. Darkest bar is the seasonal high; the outlined bar is the low.
| The question | The month | What the data shows |
|---|---|---|
| Best month to sell for top dollar | June | Sale-to-list peaks in May and June at essentially list price. The median price reads highest in December, but that is the mix of homes closing rather than stronger pricing. |
| Best month to buy with the least competition | December | About 28% of homes close above list, versus 41% in June. |
| Best month for a buyer to negotiate | December and January | The average home closes close to one percent under its final list price. |
| Best month to list for the fastest sale | Mid March | April pendings take about two weeks at the median. December pendings take a little over three. |
| Most price cuts on the market | August through October | About one in four active listings has been reduced, up from about one in six in February. |
| Most new listings | May | New listings run about 60% higher than in January. Inventory peaks in August at roughly 1.4 times the February low, the smallest seasonal swing of any city here. |
Huntington Beach is a large city with a broad price range, from inland tract homes to Huntington Harbour waterfront, and the mix smooths out the seasonal extremes you see in Irvine or Newport. What that means in practice is that the calendar matters less here than pricing does. A home priced to the last real comparable sells in any month; a home priced to hope sits in any month.
Over the past three years Huntington Beach has softened less than Irvine and about as much as the county. Inventory has grown, price cuts have become more common in the fall, and the average sale has drifted a few tenths of a percent further under asking. The share of homes selling above list has held up better than in most of the county, which is the clearest sign of steady local demand.
For buyers comparing Huntington Beach with Newport Beach, the seasonal data makes the contrast plain. Newport's average sale closes two to four percent under asking depending on the month; Huntington Beach's closes within about one percent all year. Huntington Beach is the market where a well-priced home still draws multiple offers in spring, and where a buyer's winter advantage is modest rather than large.
Comparing Huntington Beach with Newport? Read the side-by-side, or request a private read on your own home.
Because the years before them do not describe a normal calendar. Between February 2020 and the end of 2023, Zillow's home value index for Huntington Beach rose about 48% after two nearly flat years, mortgage rates went from under three percent to over seven, and in the spring of 2022 70% of homes here closed above their asking price with the typical sale going under contract in about 8 days. Fold those months into a seasonal average and every spring reads like a frenzy and every winter like a collapse. Neither describes the market you are in now.
The averages on this page start in January 2024, the first year after that window, and gain a year each time a normal one is added. The full series from 2018 onward, with every chart, is here for anyone who wants to check the reasoning.
What is the best month to sell a house in Huntington Beach?
Based on three years of Zillow Research data for Huntington Beach, June is the strongest month to close: the sale-to-list ratio peaks at essentially asking price and 41% of homes close above list. To close in June, list in late April or May. Homes going under contract in April move fastest, so mid March is the window if speed matters most.
What is the best time of year to buy in Huntington Beach?
December and January. About 28% of homes close above list in December, the lowest share of the year, and the average sale runs close to one percent under asking. The winter advantage in Huntington Beach is real but smaller than in Irvine or Newport Beach.
Do Huntington Beach homes sell above asking?
In summer, about four in ten do; in winter, closer to three in ten. Averaged across the year, the typical Huntington Beach home closes within about one percent of its list price, which is the tightest range of any coastal city tracked here in Zillow Research's data.
How long does it take to sell a house in Huntington Beach?
Zillow's median days to pending for Huntington Beach averages about two weeks for homes going under contract in April and a little over three weeks for December. The seasonal gap is among the narrowest on the coast, and the typical time to contract has changed less over the past three years than in any other city tracked here.
Seasonal figures on this section are three-year averages by calendar month, calculated from Zillow Research's published monthly series for the city of Huntington Beach (city series): median sale price, mean sale-to-list ratio, share of homes sold above list price, median days to pending, share of active listings with a price cut, new listings, and active inventory. Zillow's monthly series are smoothed three-month averages, which is why they are used here for pattern rather than for any single month's headline. You can chart the same series yourself in Zillow's Market Explorer.
Averaging window: January 2024 through July 2026 for sale figures and through August 2026 for listing figures. January through July average three years; later months average two. The section is refreshed as Zillow publishes new months; last refreshed October 2026. The monthly snapshot elsewhere on this page comes from CRMLS and is rebuilt every month. Zillow is an independent source and is not affiliated with Jade Larney or Anvil Real Estate.
What the numbers actually say
Three things stand out this month. First, volume rose and speed fell. September closed 23 more homes than August, but the typical home took 28 days instead of 15. More sales on a slower clock usually means buyers have more to choose from and are taking their time.
Second, the market is two markets. The median detached sale was $1,687,500 and took 20.5 days. The median attached sale was $895,000, down from $1,042,500 in August, and took 47 days, on 2.8 months of supply against 1.5 for houses. Attached homes were 51 of the 141 closings, so the blended median hides a lot.
Third, the tightest band is the middle one. The $1 million to $1.5 million band recorded 43 closings against 55 listings, roughly 1.3 months of supply, while condos and townhomes under $1 million are the thickest part of the market, with 90 listings for 34 sales.
Want this read for your street and price band? Request a private home value review →
Huntington Beach is several markets wearing one city name
The thickest supply in the city relative to sales, dominated by attached homes. Rate-sensitive buyers live here, so this is the band to watch if the rate move sticks.
The tightest band in Huntington Beach: closings are keeping pace with new supply, and well-presented detached homes are drawing offers.
The fastest band in the city this month. Single-level homes here are the natural landing zone for a Newport Beach downsizer who wants a larger lot at equal-or-lesser value.
Where the ocean-side and Huntington Harbour premium shows up. Homes here took a median of 42.5 days to sell in September, longer than the lower price bands, so buyers have more time to negotiate and sellers need to price to the last true comparable.
Every link opens the live MLS feed right here on jadelarney.com. Tap Save Search on any band and you'll know the day something new hits the market. The full band table is in the data set below.
What this means for you
"Is Huntington Beach the value play on the coast?"
Against Newport Beach, yes, and the gap shows in every row of the numbers table. Within Huntington Beach, houses and attached homes behave differently. Know which market you are shopping in before you compare prices.
The signal to watchDays on market on the specific home, and whether it is attached or detached.
Buyer strategy →Browse every Huntington Beach listing →"Is this the window to sell?"
For a correctly priced home, yes. Months of supply are the lowest on this site, and the typical house went under contract in about three weeks. The caution is that the overall clock slowed in September, so price to September’s comparables, not summer’s, and expect the first few weeks to decide how the rest of the listing goes.
The signal to watchThe pending count against closings. If it keeps running below closings, October volume will soften.
Seller strategy →"I'm 55+, selling coastal, and I want more house and more yard."
Huntington Beach is a common landing spot for Newport-area right-sizers who want a larger lot at a lower price point. Under Proposition 19, an eligible owner 55 or older can carry their property-tax base to the new home, and buying at equal or lesser value keeps that math clean. The two-year window between sale and purchase makes timing part of the strategy. General education, not tax or legal advice — we plan this with your CPA or attorney.
The signal to watchThe $1M–$2M detached supply.
The Prop 19 downsizing plan →Selling on the Newport side first? The Newport Beach update →Every Huntington Beach closing, examined
Below is the distribution behind this month's headline: 141 closed sales in Huntington Beach from September 1 through September 30, broken out by price band, days on market and property type. Computed from the raw CRMLS export. Method and limits are documented at the bottom.
What price range is actually selling in Huntington Beach?
The $1M–$1.5M band is the tightest in Huntington Beach this month.
| Price band | For sale | Closings | Share | Median price | Median days | Months supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $1M | 90 | 34 | 24.1% | $752,500 | 30 | 2.6 |
| $1M to $1.5M | 55 | 43 | 30.5% | $1,250,000 | 28 | 1.3 |
| $1.5M to $2M | 51 | 30 | 21.3% | $1,727,500 | 17 | 1.7 |
| $2M and up | 84 | 34 | 24.1% | $2,573,800 | 42.5 | 2.5 |
Your price band is one row in that table. Where your own home sits inside it is the difference between a three-week sale and a three-month one. Get a read on your specific home →
How long do Huntington Beach homes take to sell?
| Days on market | Closings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 14 days | 47 | 33.3% | |
| 15 to 30 days | 27 | 19.1% | |
| 31 to 60 days | 24 | 17.0% | |
| 61 days or more | 43 | 30.5% |
5 of 141 closings carried a prior listing period: they displayed a median of 26 days but had actually been on the market a median of 121, and the longest carried 258 hidden days. Ask for cumulative days on market before you decide what to offer. County-wide figures are on the Orange County update.
What kinds of homes are selling in Huntington Beach?
| Sub-type | Closings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single family, detached | 89 | 63.1% | |
| Condominium, attached | 27 | 19.1% | |
| Single family, attached | 13 | 9.2% | |
| Townhome, attached | 11 | 7.8% | |
| Condominium, detached | 1 | 0.7% |
Detached homes were 90 of 141 closings and attached homes 51. The full detached and attached comparison is in the numbers table above.
What do these numbers actually mean?
Months of supply. How long it would take to sell every home currently for sale, at the pace homes are actually selling. Under four months favors sellers. Four to six months is balanced. Above six favors buyers.
Median, not average. The median is the middle sale: half sold for more, half for less. An average is pulled upward by a handful of very expensive sales, which is why published Huntington Beach figures can differ meaningfully depending on which one a source used.
Days on market. The days between a home coming to market and going under contract, counted cumulatively so it carries forward if a property was relisted. Sources differ on how they count it, which is why the same city can be quoted at wildly different figures in the same month.
Attached and detached. Detached means a standalone house. Attached means it shares at least one wall: townhomes, condominiums, co-operatives, and attached single-family homes.
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DAYS ON MARKET Days on market is the cumulative figure. It is the more conservative of the two measures the MLS reports and it is used throughout this page.
SAMPLE SIZE 141 closings is a small sample, because this is one city in one month. Any row with fewer than eight sales should be read as directional. Medians are unweighted and move with the mix of what happened to sell.
DEFINITIONS Detached covers detached single-family and detached multi-unit structures. Price per square foot uses recorded living area and excludes records with no square footage. This data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.
Questions I hear every week
Is Huntington Beach a buyer's market or a seller's market right now?
By months of supply it is the closest to a seller’s market of the markets I track, at about 2.0 months, but the leverage is conditional: houses are tight and attached homes are not. The band you are in and whether the home is attached matter more than the citywide label.
How fast are Huntington Beach homes actually selling?
The typical September sale went under contract in about four weeks, which is slower than August but still brisk. Houses went in under three weeks; attached homes took about seven. Those two numbers describe the same city in the same month, and the difference is almost entirely property type, pricing and preparation.
Why do detached and attached prices look so different?
Because they are different products with different buyer pools. Detached homes in Huntington Beach carry land value and trade on lot, location and condition; attached homes trade on HOA, unit and view, and they sat longer in September. Compare like with like before you read a median.
Can I really move from Newport Beach to Huntington Beach and keep my property taxes?
If you are 55 or older and the move qualifies under Proposition 19, you can generally transfer your existing taxable value to a replacement primary residence anywhere in California, and buying at equal or lesser value than your sale keeps the transferred base intact. The rules on timing, value tests, and filing are specific, so we plan the sale and purchase together with your CPA or attorney before anything is listed. This is general education, not tax or legal advice.
Should I wait for rates to drop before buying in Huntington Beach?
The 30-year fixed averaged 7.28% in Freddie Mac’s survey for the week of October 1, up from 6.66% in late August. Waiting for a lower rate is a bet on timing you cannot control. The better plan is usually to buy the right home at a defensible price and refinance if rates improve.
What is my Huntington Beach home actually worth right now?
More than a portal estimate knows and less than the neighbor’s asking price, usually. The number that holds up comes from the last 90 days of true comparables for your specific street, condition, and lot, which is exactly what a private home value review covers. Request one here.
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