Pending Sales Are Climbing as Inventory Cools Off Its 2026 Peak: Coastal Orange County Market Update, Mid-August 2026

By Missy Wiesen, REALTOR® | Certified Negotiation Expert | Serhant California, Inc.

TL;DR

Active inventory across Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, and Dana Point pulled back from its 2026 high as of August 10, while pending sales jumped and mortgage rates eased slightly to 6.74%.

What's Happening in the Coastal Orange County Housing Market Right Now?

As of August 10, 2026, active inventory across the five cities stood at 750 listings, down from the 785-listing high recorded on July 27. Over the same two weeks, pending sales rose from 176 to 194, and Missy Wiesen's local mortgage rate tracking eased to 6.74%, down from 6.80%. Fewer active listings and more homes moving into contract are both signs of buyers absorbing the inventory that built up through July.

Did Every City Lose Active Listings, or Just Some?

Mixed. Newport Beach saw the sharpest pullback, down 9.2% from 261 to 237 active listings, followed by Laguna Niguel, down 7.6% from 172 to 159, and Laguna Beach, down 3.9% from 180 to 173. Corona del Mar held flat at 70. Dana Point moved the other direction, up 8.8% from 102 to 111, the only one of the five cities still adding inventory over this stretch.

Why Are Pending Sales Climbing Even as Inventory Shrinks?

Combined pending sales rose 10.2%, from 176 to 194, over the two weeks between snapshots. Newport Beach led the increase, up from 58 to 70 pending listings, followed by Laguna Niguel, up from 43 to 49, and Corona del Mar, up from 14 to 19. Dana Point was the exception, with pending sales slipping from 31 to 27. Rising pending activity alongside falling active inventory points to real buyer demand working through the market, not just fewer new listings coming on.

What Happened With Mortgage Rates?

Missy's own weekly rate tracking shows 6.74% as of August 10, down from 6.80% on July 27, the first pullback after a run of increases through most of July. That local read differs from the most recent Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey figure, which put the national 30-year fixed average at 6.69% as of August 6, up slightly from 6.66% the week before and close to an 11-month high. The two figures track different weeks and different data sources, so they should be read as two separate signals rather than a contradiction, but the overall picture is a rate environment that has largely leveled off after months of gradual movement.

Are Homes Still Selling Close to Asking Price?

Yes, and pricing power actually improved. Across the five cities, homes that sold within 15 days of listing closed at an average of 100.1% of list price as of August 10, up from 99.72% two weeks earlier, while homes that sat on the market more than 30 days before selling closed at 97.02%, up from 95.54%. The gap between fast sales and slow sales narrowed to roughly 3 percentage points, from about 4.2 points on July 27, meaning even homes that take longer are landing closer to their asking price than they were two weeks ago.

Which City Looks Tightest Right Now?

Laguna Niguel again. It posted 26 sales in the most recent two-week window, the highest of any of the five cities, alongside the group's most affordable active median price at $1,495,000 and sold median price of $1,412,500. That combination of relative affordability and consistent sales volume has kept Laguna Niguel the fastest-moving of the five markets in back-to-back snapshots.

What Happened With Laguna Beach's Days-on-Market Spike From Last Time?

It resolved, as expected. Two weeks ago, Laguna Beach's average days on market for recently sold homes jumped to 161 days, a figure flagged at the time as a likely small-sample outlier rather than a real slowdown. As of August 10, that figure is back to 20 days, in line with the other four cities. The percent-of-list-price data held steady at 96.7% across both snapshots, which is the read that mattered more than the noisy days-on-market figure.

How Did Active Pricing Move Across the Five Cities?

Active median price moved modestly in both directions rather than in one clean trend. Newport Beach eased 3.9%, from $4,995,000 to $4,800,000, and Dana Point fell 9.3%, from $2,750,000 to $2,495,000, while Laguna Niguel dipped 5.7% to $1,495,000. Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach moved the other way, up 2.8% and 2.2% respectively. None of these moves are large enough on their own to call a citywide repricing, and with active listing counts in the 70-to-240 range per city, a handful of new or withdrawn listings can shift a median without reflecting a broader shift in value.

How Much of the Recent Market Is Cash?

Combined cash sales in the trailing 30 days fell to 73 as of August 10, down from 85 on July 27, alongside a smaller pool of overall 30-day closings across the five cities. Dana Point had the largest share of its own sales in cash relative to its size, and Newport Beach and Laguna Niguel both saw their cash counts hold in a similar range to the prior snapshot.

What Does This Mean If You're Selling This Fall?

Momentum has shifted back in sellers' favor compared to two weeks ago. Both the fast-sale and slow-sale percent-of-list-price figures improved, and pending sales are climbing while inventory has pulled back from its 2026 peak, a combination that generally means less competition for a well-priced listing than existed in late July. For a deeper look at timing a sale around seasonal shifts, see "Timing the Market: When to Sell in Coastal Orange County."

What Does This Mean If You're Buying Right Now?

Inventory has eased from its highest point of the year, and more of it is moving into contract, both signs that serious competition for well-priced homes hasn't gone away even with a rate environment that has leveled off. Buyers who were waiting for August's inventory peak to shop from should know that window has already started to narrow. Buyers weighing timing can find "Is It Better to Buy Now or Wait in Coastal Orange County?" a useful next read.

Should You Wait for Rates to Drop Further Before Buying or Selling?

There's no way to know with confidence where rates go from here, and Missy's local read and the national Freddie Mac figure are not even telling the exact same short-term story right now. What is measurable is that pending sales are rising, inventory has pulled back from its 2026 high, and pricing power has improved for both fast- and slow-selling homes over the last two weeks. Decisions grounded in this week's actual numbers tend to hold up better than a bet on where the next rate reading lands.

Conclusion

Coastal Orange County's market in mid-August 2026 looks tighter than it did two weeks ago: inventory is down from its 2026 peak, pending sales are up double digits, and homes are closing closer to list price whether they sell fast or slow. Laguna Niguel remains the most active of the five markets, and Dana Point is the only city still adding inventory.

If you want a read on what these numbers mean for your specific city, price range, or timeline, Missy Wiesen can walk you through the current data before you make your next move.

Missy Wiesen | Coastal Orange County REALTOR® | Serhant California, Inc.

949-887-6644 | realtormissy3@gmail.com | www.MissySellsOC.com