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San Diego County: asking prices slip to a three-year low as fewer homes go into escrow

By Dr. Hamid Rowshan, Choice of America

San Diego County's median asking price fell to its lowest point since November 2022 as homes in escrow kept declining, giving buyers more choice and more room to negotiate this fall.

The typical San Diego County home was listed for $888,450 in September 2026, according to Realtor.com's monthly housing data, which the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis also publishes on FRED (series MEDLISPRI6073). That is about 1% below August's $899,000, about 6% below the $947,975 median in September 2025, and the lowest median asking price in the county since November 2022. It is also down roughly 5% from this year's high of $939,000 in May.

Part of that drop reflects what is for sale. The median listing in September measured 1,507 square feet, the smallest in Realtor.com's county records, which go back to mid-2016. Measured per square foot, the median asking price was $587 (FRED MEDLISPRIPERSQUFEE6073), down from $608 a year earlier and the lowest since March 2023. So prices per foot are easing too, just more gently than the headline median.

Fewer homes are going into escrow. San Diego County had 2,137 pending listings in September (FRED PENLISCOU6073), meaning homes with an accepted offer that had not yet closed. That is about 10% below the 2,365 pending listings in September 2025, down from 2,209 in August, and the lowest monthly count since January. Pending listings have fallen every month since May, when they reached 2,597.

Supply is high by recent standards but has stopped climbing. Active listings came to 5,749 in September (FRED ACTLISCOU6073), down from 5,841 in August and about 1.5% below the 5,836 a year earlier, but more than double the 2,622 active listings in September 2023. New listings totaled 2,326 (FRED NEWLISCOU6073), close to the 2,328 of September 2025.

Taken together, buyers have more choice than they did in the spring. There were about 37 homes in escrow for every 100 active listings in September, compared with about 41 per 100 a year earlier and about 56 per 100 in February.

Price cuts are holding steady. 2,072 San Diego County listings had a price reduction in September (FRED PRIREDCOU6073), compared with 2,104 a year earlier; Realtor.com puts the share of listings with a price cut at 20.4%, about 1 in 5, little changed from 19.8% in September 2025. Homes are taking a little longer to sell than in the spring: the median listing spent 46 days on the market (FRED MEDDAYONMAR6073), up from 38 days in February through April, though still quicker than the 49 days recorded in September 2025.

What this means day to day: from Chula Vista, National City, and Otay Mesa in the South Bay to Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, and San Marcos in North County, and from Escondido, Poway, and Ramona inland to El Cajon, Santee, and La Mesa in East County, buyers this fall are seeing more listings with price reductions and more room to negotiate on homes that have sat for a month or more. That can mean asking for seller credits toward closing costs or a mortgage rate buydown rather than only a lower price. For sellers, a typical home still sells in about six and a half weeks, but buyers are comparing more options, so pricing close to recent comparable sales from day one, and presenting the home well, matter more than they did at midyear. Whatever side you are on, look at the full monthly cost, including the mortgage, property taxes, homeowners insurance, and any HOA dues or Mello-Roos assessments common in newer communities, rather than the list price alone.

At Choice of America, we help buyers and sellers across San Diego County read these numbers neighborhood by neighborhood. Visit our San Diego County page for local guidance, or call or text us to talk through your plans.

Choice of America · San Diego County real estate

Dr. Hamid Rowshan, DRE #02004794, company DRE #02240008. Choice of America, serving Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties. Call or text 833-THIS-BROKER, (833) 842-7465.

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