MARKET JOURNAL IQ

San Diego Seller's Read · September 2026

Is now a good time to sell a house in San Diego County?

Short answer: for a lot of owners, yes — but it hinges on your block, your equity, and where you go next. Here's the data, minus the spin.

The short version

Inventory is still tight — about 3 months of supply countywide, well under the 5–6 that signals a balanced market — and detached homes are selling in a median 15 days. That's a seller's setup in a lot of neighborhoods, even with the county median down a slight 1.7% year over year.

The catch: rates near 6.71% have made buyers pickier and more price-sensitive, so pricing right matters more than it has in years — and if you're buying your next home too, you're buying at those same rates. The math is strongest for owners with real equity and a clear plan for what's next.

3.0 mo
Months of supply
▼ ~23% YoY (tight)
15 days
Median days on market
▼ ~25% YoY (fast)
$1.03M
County detached median
▼ 1.7% YoY
6.71%
30-yr fixed rate
Thins the buyer pool

Sources: SDAR / CRMLS InfoSparks, detached, through August 2026 (supply, days on market, median); Freddie Mac (rate).

What the market means for sellers right now

1. Low inventory is your friend

At roughly 3 months of supply, there still aren't enough homes to go around in most of San Diego. Fewer competing listings means a well-priced, well-presented home stands out — and the median 15 days on market says buyers still move quickly when the price is right.

2. But buyers are rate-sensitive — so pricing discipline wins

At 6.71%, buyers are watching every dollar of payment. The homes that stall right now are the overpriced ones; the homes that sell fast are priced to the real, current comps for their specific block. This is not the market to "test a high number" — mispricing shows up as days on market, and days on market cost you leverage.

3. The county headline hides your real position

"Median down 1.7%" spooks some owners into waiting. But that's a countywide number blending every neighborhood and price point — it says nothing about what your street is doing. Plenty of pockets are firmly in seller territory, and if you bought before the run-up, your equity is likely far stronger than the headline suggests.

The case for selling now

The case for waiting

It's a neighborhood question

"The San Diego market" doesn't set your price — your block does. Supply swings hugely across the county, and that's what determines your leverage:

NeighborhoodMedianSupplySeller leverage
Chula Vista$849,6672.3 moStrong — tight supply
El Cajon$779,1673.0 moSolid — balanced-tight
La Jolla$2.39M3.7 moSteady — luxury pace
Downtown$680,0008.4 moSofter — price sharply

Detached where applicable; Downtown is condo-heavy. Source: SDAR/CRMLS InfoSparks, Aug 2026. Full data for 40+ communities at mjiq.com.

So — should you sell?

Three honest questions:

Strong equity, a clear next step, and a block that's moving — and now is very likely a good time for you to sell, county headlines aside. The single biggest lever in this market is pricing to the real, current data for your street. That's exactly the read I give people before they list.

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The county number won't price your home — your block will. Start with the real neighborhood data, then let's talk strategy and number.