Coastal Orange County Real Estate Market Update: February 2026
- Missy Wiesen
- Feb 10
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 19
By Missy Wiesen, REALTOR® | eXp Realty of California, Inc.
If you own a home in Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, or Dana Point, the market shifted in a meaningful way over the past two weeks. Buyer demand surged while new inventory came on slowly, and that combination is already moving the needle heading into what is typically the strongest selling season of the year.
Most market reports will tell you what is happening across Orange County as a whole. This one is different. The coastal communities where you live operate as their own market, and the data that matters to you is specific to your neighborhood, not a county-wide average. The median sold price across all of Orange County in December was $1,155,000. In Newport Beach, it was $3,625,000.
In Corona Del Mar, $4,485,000. These are fundamentally different conversations.
This update is for homeowners who want to understand what their property is worth right now, buyers evaluating whether this is the right time to act, and anyone watching how market conditions in their specific coastal city are evolving.
TL;DR
Coastal Orange County buyer demand surged 38% in two weeks while inventory grew modestly, tightening market conditions and putting sellers in a stronger position heading into spring 2026.
What Is the Real Estate Market Doing in Coastal Orange County Right Now?
Buyer demand across Coastal Orange County increased sharply in late January 2026, with pending sales rising 38% in a two-week period. Mortgage rates are currently sitting at 6.16%, nearly one full percentage point lower than this time last year, which is directly driving buyers off the sidelines. Active inventory across the five coastal cities totals 569 homes with 179 pending sales, and 70 homes went under contract in 14 days or fewer, reflecting genuine urgency in the market.
Why Mortgage Rates Matter More Than People Realize in This Market
A one-percentage-point difference in mortgage rates sounds small. It is not.
On a $2 million loan at 7%, a buyer is paying approximately $13,306 per month. At 6.16%, that same loan drops to roughly $12,194. That is more than $1,100 per month in savings, or over $13,000 per year. For buyers in this price range, that is a real number that changes what they can afford and how motivated they are to move.
Rates have been below 6.5% since September 2025, the longest sustained stretch of lower rates in several years. That consistency is what is changing behavior. Buyers who were waiting are no longer waiting, and the pending sale data across every coastal city in this report is confirming it.
City-by-City Breakdown: What the Numbers Show
This data reflects current market conditions as of February 9, 2026, pulled directly from CRMLS. This is the granular, city-specific picture that no county-wide report provides.
Newport Beach — The median sold price is $3,625,000, with homes averaging 55 days on market and sellers receiving 97.1% of list price. Twenty-one homes went under contract in 14 days or fewer, and cash buyers represented 29% of all closed sales. The fastest-moving properties achieved 100.3% of list price, meaning multiple-offer situations are occurring on well-positioned homes. There are currently 49 homes pending, with an active median list price of $4,495,000.
Corona Del Mar — The tightest market on this list. Only 65 homes are active, the median sold price is $4,485,000, and homes are selling in an average of 37 days. The fastest-selling segment averaged 102.1% of list price. With a pending median of $3,945,000 and just 16 homes under contract, well-priced properties here are attracting serious, competitive buyers.
Laguna Beach — With 133 active listings and an active average DOM of 125 days, Laguna Beach operates differently than any other market in this report. That is not a red flag. It reflects the nature of the Laguna Beach buyer, someone highly specific about architecture, views, and lifestyle. The median sold price is $2,925,000, sellers received 96.5% of list, and 13 of the 30 current pending sales went under contract in under two weeks. The active median list price of $5,475,000 reflects the premium inventory currently available.
Laguna Niguel — The most active and competitive market among the five. Fifty-two homes are currently pending, and 29 of them went under contract in under two weeks. The pending-to-active ratio of 61% is the strongest in this report. Sellers received 99.0% of list price overall, and the fastest-moving segment averaged 100.2%. The median sold price is $1,165,000 with an average DOM of just 30 days.
Dana Point — Average days on market sit at 67, but the more telling data point is the pending median price of $2,374,500, significantly higher than the median sold price of $1,625,000. That gap signals upward price pressure building in the pipeline. Thirteen of the 32 current pending sales went under contract in under two weeks. The active median list price of $2,664,995 reflects the premium nature of what is currently available in the harbor and hillside neighborhoods.
What This Means if You Are Thinking About Selling
Local Coastal Orange County REALTOR® Missy Wiesen tracks these micro-market conditions specifically because seller strategy in Newport Beach is not the same as seller strategy in Laguna Beach, and treating them the same way costs clients real money.
What the data shows right now: demand is rising ahead of new inventory. That is the condition sellers want. In Laguna Niguel and Corona Del Mar, well-priced homes are receiving offers at or above asking. In Newport Beach, 113 of the 194 active listings have been sitting 30 or more days, which means the homes moving quickly are priced in alignment with where buyers see value. The spread between what is listed and what is selling tells you everything about pricing strategy.
If you have been considering listing, the window between rising demand and rising competition is open right now. It will narrow as more sellers enter the market through February and March.
What This Means if You Are Thinking About Buying
Inventory across these five cities is higher than it was in 2024, which means more options than buyers had last year. Rates are meaningfully lower than 2025. And yet the market is heating up quickly, with 70 homes going under contract in 14 days or fewer just in the past reporting period.
Laguna Beach and Dana Point currently offer the most room for thoughtful negotiation. Laguna Niguel and Corona Del Mar require speed and preparation. Newport Beach rewards buyers who understand which homes are correctly priced and which ones are not.
The common thread across all five cities: buyers who enter this spring market without preparation, pre-approval, and a clear strategy will lose homes to buyers who do.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Coastal Orange County Real Estate Market
Q: What is the current real estate market like in Newport Beach in 2026?
A: As of February 2026, Newport Beach has 194 active listings with a median active list price of $4,495,000 and 49 homes currently under contract. The median sold price is $3,625,000, and sellers are receiving an average of 97.1% of their asking price. Twenty-one homes sold in 14 days or fewer, and 29% of all sales were cash transactions, reflecting the high-net-worth buyer pool that defines this market.
Q: Is now a good time to sell a home in Coastal Orange County?
A: Based on current market data, February 2026 represents a favorable window for coastal sellers. Buyer demand surged 38% in the past two weeks while new inventory grew modestly, creating the supply-demand imbalance that gives sellers negotiating leverage. In Corona Del Mar and Laguna Niguel specifically, homes priced correctly are achieving list price and above. If you are considering selling, contact Missy Wiesen for a no-obligation pricing consultation specific to your city and neighborhood.
Q: How does the Coastal OC real estate market compare to the rest of Orange County?
A: The coastal markets behave very differently from the broader Orange County market. The county-wide median sold price in December 2025 was $1,155,000. In Newport Beach it was $3,625,000, and in Corona Del Mar it was $4,485,000. Market time, buyer profiles, cash sale percentages, and price-per-square-foot all differ significantly from inland cities, which is why county-level statistics are rarely relevant to homeowners and buyers in these communities.
Q: Which coastal city has the most buyer competition right now?
A: Laguna Niguel currently shows the strongest buyer competition among the five coastal cities tracked in this report. With 52 pending sales against just 85 active listings, the pending-to-active ratio is 61%, the highest of any city in this analysis. The average days on market is just 30 days, and sellers are receiving 99% of list price on average. If you are buying in Laguna Niguel, reach out to Missy Wiesen to discuss strategy before you start touring homes.
Q: What is happening with luxury home sales in Newport Beach and Corona Del Mar?
A: Newport Beach and Corona Del Mar are both well above the traditional $2.5 million luxury threshold, and both are showing strengthening buyer activity in early 2026. Corona Del Mar homes priced and presented correctly are selling in an average of 37 days and achieving 102.1% of list price among the fastest-moving segment. In Newport Beach, cash buyers represent nearly 30% of transactions. The key driver is the sustained lower-rate environment, which has improved affordability even at the $3 million to $5 million price point.
Whether you are thinking about selling, ready to buy, or simply want to understand what your home is worth in today's market, a conversation costs nothing. Reach out for a personalized market analysis specific to your property and neighborhood.
Missy Wiesen, REALTOR®
eXp Realty of California, Inc
949-887-6644
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